I thoroughly enjoy Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and kept hearing incredible reviews on this JD bottle. I’ve never been a big fan of JD so I was always afraid to shell out for it. A friend of mine had this on his shelf and was excited to give it a try. The nose was so powerful, and not in a good way. I could smell the sweetness of vanilla, some banana and then the ABV. If you weren’t careful, the heat would bite you just from the nose. It made sure to remind you this was 135 proof. The palate was nothing like I expected from all the reviews. It was so hot I could barely make out the notes. Banana was there for sure but also an odd twang which made it not enjoyable. Again, the heat from the ABV over powered everything which made it disappointed. The finish wasn’t pleasant as the heat followed through with som emu or sweetness. Overall, this wasn’t for me. It reminded me that bourbon is in the eye of the beholder as soooooo many people love this bottle. Not me BUT one day I’ll try it again and see if it changes on me. Till then, I’ll let someone else grab this bottle.