Man, you can taste every bit of the 120 proof of this bottle. Not sure if EC Barrel Proof is different year after year but for a bottle I picked up just last week ( May 2nd 2022 ), I can't really see what all the hype is about. This bourbon is potent, with alcohol burn dominating the taste. On bigger drinks, it can leave the mouth stinging a bit. However, there is an underlying, quite pleasant nutty sweetness swirled with a bit of herbaceous spice from Rye. Not my favorite. Given the relative rarity of this bottle, I expected more. For the price point I think I'd take two bottles of Four Roses Single Barrel over this one.