Rating: 17/23 I've been looking forward to trying this one for quite some time, so I've been saving this sample. I'm not sure why, but tonight felt like the night to pop it open, so here goes! N: Bitter, spicy rye comes out big and bold. There's a tart fruitiness as well and a surprising umami. Nettle and a hint of mint. I'm not getting a whole lot out of this nose, but it's rich. Maybe it needs a few minutes. After waiting a really long time, some tart citrus (orange peel with some lemon) comes out alongside some rich rye bread. P: Big spicy rye with decadent port fruit. The fruit is big, red, and juicy, with a sweetness that borders on syrupy. A bit of blackberry as well, and maybe the faintest blueberry. There's lots of herbal bitterness with nuance that reminds me of Whistlepig PiggyBack. Some creosote in here as well, but not a ton. A bit of licorice. I thought I'd get leather, but I'm not actually getting any. Despite all of these bold flavors, there is a slightly empty middle to the palate due to the lack of sweetness and leather to fill it out. A quick double check shows that my palate is in great shape, so I'm not just missing them. Also, what are these spices? It's definitely a dry, bitter, herbal, slightly green rye spice, but what do I compare it to? Adding a bit of water, I can taste cherry and orange peel. Without the water, this is hot. It's never harsh, but it's spicy and hot. F: Rye dryness with a spicy kick and a bit of peppermint. Some lingering sweetness from the port fruit. - Conclusion - Combining rye with port doesn't seem like an obvious choice to me, but the result here is great! Trying Whistlepig Piggyback (16/23) side by side, I get a lot of the same rye profile. This is a bit less vegetal, but that could be because the port is overwhelming most of those flavors. They're about equally nuanced, though this is more approachable and fun with its sweet fruits. This is definitely better, though it's not tremendously better. Joseph Magnus (21/23) is a highly-finished, spicy, leathery bomb with chocolatey notes and greater fullness and decadence than this has. Although the Joseph Magnus is probably spicier than this is, is isn't as hot. There's a greater sense of maturity to the Joseph Magnus as well, though this never tasted super old. The Joseph Magnus maybe doesn't crush this, but it is clearly much better. This is definitely closer to the Whistlepig - which is a great whiskey as well! Resilient 15 (18/23)...is very different. It's more subtle and nuanced, with less interesting flair and more maturity. This is much closer than the Joseph Magnus was, but I'd still give the win to the Resilient. Wild Turkey Rare Breed (18/23) is bolder and richer, but less refined. They're pretty similar in quality, but I'm leaning toward the Wild Turkey. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel (18?/23) tastes perhaps not as elegant as this, but it balances richness and complexity with a suitable level of refinement. Oddly, I've never tasted the similarity in DNA between Sussell's Reserve Single Barrel and Russell's Reserve 10 more than I do right now. Just an interesting note. Because of the burn this has, I think I'd take the Russell's Reserve. Old Forester 1920 (18/23) is more hedonistic than this. It's spicier as well, but doesn't burn any more than this does. There's some nice complexity in the Old Forester too. I think this is another case of this being almost as good as an 18. This is a great dram, but it still tastes youthful and in need of refinement, from the burn to the flavors. I won't say that it tastes muddled, but it's in this odd spot that I think I haven't encountered before, where I taste a lot going on, but I struggle to identify the particular flavors. Considering that the Whistlepig is a high 16, this is at least a 17, but it isn't passing an 18. I've spent a while going back and forth between the two, but most of the time I've been thinking it's a 17 and that's where I think I'm going to land. This has spent a lot of time being almost as good as numerous 18s. Although I expected a bit more of this dram (because my expectations were very high), I'm not at all disappointed by this experience. I thought I'd be trying a unique whiskey that pulled off a magic trick with its port barrel aging. Instead, I tried a great example of why rye should be aged in port barrels more often! A big thank you to @ctbeck11 for sharing this!