Nose: Fragrant wood, vanilla ice cream, caramel coated popcorn (maybe even butterscotch?), cherry, soft cinnamon, ginger, clove and fennel seed notes. A very pleasant nose. A drop of water expands the woody notes and makes the nose a little "planky". Palate: Sweet buttery cereal, vanilla, caramel sauce, subtle menthol and caraway spices. The palate is aligned closely with the nose. Cola and rye spice notes come forward in the development together with a pinch of black pepper. Mild sourness develops towards the finish, but it’s not unpleasant. The alcohol is very well contained and this is not a hot profile. It swims well and a dash of water does not hurt, but it does not improve anything either. Finish: Medium/short. The sour note from the late development modulates into a soft tannin-influenced aftertaste. The oak aroma is not that of mature casks, but neither is it like fresh-sawn lumber. It has a fragrant, fresh aroma with sandalwood and maple notes. Rye is noticeable on the nose but it is primarily soft and mildly fragrant. The palate is good neat and does not require water, and I'd recommend taking this one neat as water slightly spoils the nose. The attack is sweet and measured and I did not notice excessive ethanol or spice heat. The finish is not particularly long, but it fades out gracefully and leaves me wanting another pour. A good bourbon that is very much of the style I prefer. I would be happy to keep a bottle of this in the cabinet as my everyday bourbon apart from one thing – the absurdly high asking price in Australia. I’ll pay that sort of money for 4 star whisky, but not for 3 star bourbon. Tasted from a 30ml sample. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)