Rating: 15/23 This is getting close to empty and I'm realizing that I only rated it the one time shortly after I first got it. I think I like it better than I did then, but how much more do I like it? I'll see. N: Sawdusty wood with some mineral that I never noticed before trying Garrison Brothers Balmorhea. A bit of orange zest leading into some tartness that is more of what I'd expect from a sour mash bourbon. There's some chocolate as well, adding just a touch of sweetness and keeping this from smelling overly tannic. P: Rich and fairly full, though I am getting some minerals. Sawdust with cinnamon and more creamy chocolate than I expected. I'm actually getting quite a bit of creamy milk chocolate. There's a bit of vanilla as well. There's some interesting nuance in how the vanilla and chocolate interact. Sort of like Godiva Chocolate Liqueur. That part is pretty tasty. The wood tannins are present, but quite mellow. They really don't get in the way. The sawdust flavor isn't ideal, but it certainly doesn't taste over-oaked. The burn is a bit much, though this is 59.55% ABV. Still, its a bit of a sharp young spirits bite that's just a little harsh. F: A lot of vanilla and chocolate with a faint tartness and faint sawdust. It certainly isn't the fullest finish, but this is actually a darned tasty one. It's surprisingly rare that the two best notes from the palate are the dominant ones on the finish. A bit of minerality as well, but it isn't too bad. It's a fairly short finish though. And now I'm starting to get a bit more tannins and a touch of orange peel. - Conclusion - I'm enjoying this enough that I think it has to be at least a 15. I'm not wowed by it though, so I'm unlikely to rate it super high. On to side-by-sides, Early Times Bottled In Bond (15/23) competes well with this in richness and fullness, also having a hedonistic flavor. I'm getting a touch of chocolate out of the Early Times that I don't remember from past tastings, so I'm inclined to think that I've overstated the chocolate decadence of this dram. The only thing that made this possibly excellent was the chocolate, so I don't think that this is likely to be better than a 16 at this point. I definitely taste the greater maturity of the Early Times. Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23) definitely has more minerality than this does and it tastes flatter. I'm kind of preferring this side by side. George Dickel Bottled In Bond (the first release) (16/23) seems just as rich and full as this though and it lacks that youthful bite. Between the two, I'm inclined to label the Dickel the winner. I kind of appreciate the relaxed age of my bottle of George Dickel Single Barrel 15 (15/23) side by side with this. The Dickel is actually reveals some complexity that I didn't notice before and the excessive oak bothers me a little bit less. This is a tough call to make, but it's either a 15 or a 16. Not a good value in either case. Seeing as the only actual 16 I have here soundly beats this and the 15s aren't definitely inferior, I'm going to give this a high 15. Even for Garrison Brothers aged in a barn in the Texas heat, 3 years is not long enough. And now I'm starting to find Russell's Reserve 10 to be on the same level as (or perhaps slightly better than) this. I think a 15 is definitely warranted. In the end, it's that youthful harshness and slightly weak flavor that holds this back. Yep, a 15.