I generally only prefer the single barrels from JD with the gold label BP being a fantastic pour. This one came with much fanfare and even landed on Whiskey Advocates top bottles list so when I managed to find one I figured I'd give it a go. Nose is pretty much a classic profile with some heavy brown sugar notes. The extra few years in the barrel defintely smooth out any alcohol notes that tend to pop out on the younger standard label. First sip is defintely bringing some cocoa notes on the front end. This may sound a bit crazy, but I am getting some subtle banana notes coming through. It's almost a very light chocolate covered banana vibe going on. There is a mild heat the rolls across mid sip and softly fades like a smoldering campfire. Overall this is nice, but honestly for the hype that is all I can say. The private barrels I have had easily top this and bring much more flavor and life to the party. Is it a step up from the standard JD? Sure. Is it worth chasing all over for? Not for me. You are much better off grabbing one of the single barrel blacks or if you are fortunate to find one the gold label instead of running with the herd to find this one.