Rating: 17/23 It's always fun to try the inaugural batch of a line from a producer. I've enjoyed Old Carter in the past, too, so I doubt that this will disappoint. N: OK, wow. I get a lot of alcohol here, but it's that youthful, kind of sour alcohol, not the mellower variety I get out of older spirits, though it isn't quite meaty. I makes me think of a bourbon around 5 years of age. Digging past it, I start to get some grain. It's dry corn and rye, with a hint of tart cherry. I'm getting real Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 vibes from this. Perhaps some very faint licorice. Not a ton of wood happening here. After a good 10 minutes or so in the glass, that youthful alcohol dissipated and I can now smell some musty wood and spices that make me think more of a 10 year old bourbon. There's a bit of sweet vanilla as well and some minerality that only weakens the nose a tad. Also, some peanut shells. I am getting some of the corn, but it's dry rather than creamy or sweet. Actually, it might be a tad creamy, but still not sweet. P: I get that big alcohol blast with sort of caramel mixed with tart cherries. Vanilla. Pepper, cinnamon, some bitter herbal notes. Not quite licorice. Some minerality. It reminds me a lot of Booker's crossed with Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8, though the Wild Turkey is a bit lighter with more nuance, but also more of an alcohol bite. Letting it sit for 15 minutes, it's much more wood and spice than the palate led me to believe initially. It's more balanced and mature tasting. A bit of peanut shell and some clean yet slightly full minerality that doesn't seem to add or detract from the flavor. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove. Midway between the fresh pour and the 15 minute mark, it lightens while maintaining peppery heat and tart cherry, making it sort of so much more like the Wild Turkey Rare Breed that it overshoots the Wild Turkey profile, becoming lighter and spicier and having more cherry. F: Quite numbing. There's a lot of clove. The syrupy tart cherry with some caramel lingers, along with some woody spices and faint minerality. Long into the finish, it turns pretty much just woody and numbing, reducing to clove. - Conclusion - I find that this is about in the ballpark of a fresh bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 (18/23), but it consistently struggles to surpass the Wild Turkey. There is a lot I like here, but it does come across as a not super old (7 years perhaps?) with too much minerality, making it kind of light. The complexity and balance are solid, but nothing is really making this stand out as a special dram. I think that the best I can give this is an 18 to put it on the same level as the Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Honestly though, I'm kind of thinking now that the Wild Turkey is the better dram. Not by a lot, but definitely by a little. George Dickel Bottled In Bond (1st release) (16/23) is pretty close to this in terms of fullness and richness. This one has a bit more going on, but the Dickel burns a bit less (though it's also much lower proof). I'm inclined to put this above the Dickel, though not by a lot. Uncle Nearest 1856 (15/23) is also not that far from this in quality (once the Uncle Nearest has had quite a lot of air), but it's definitely not on the same level. I can see anything in the 16 to 18 range for this. I think I need to go with a 17. This is very good, but definitely not my favorite Old Carter release. I'm curious as to what about it makes it "whiskey" rather than "bourbon". I'd thought it might be obviously different from bourbon, but I'm really not getting that. A big thanks as always to @pkingmartin for the Old Carter sample!