Ok time for something I’ve never done before: a second review of a bourbon I’ve already reviewed! And why would I do this you ask? I don’t know if my palate has changed or this bourbon has changed or both, but this is tasting very very different from my initial review from years ago. (I’ve heard WT often blends older whiskies into their batch products as needed to use up aging stock so maybe that’s what’s going on here) Keeping the things from my initial review which still apply and altering what no longer applies. On the nose, I am getting vanilla bean, nutmeg, buttered toast, barrel char, and a hint of pine. Light ethanol riding underneath. Palate opens with caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon bun but it quickly morphs into a leather/tobacco flavor in the mid-palate with the caramel turning into flan. Some oak makes itself known as well. Finishes with some rich sweet oak, a bloom of baking spices, white pepper, a hint of mint, and a sour note (Green apple? Kiwi?) which brings complexity and mellows out what might otherwise be spice overkill. After the initial tastes fade, you are left with a cake batter note which is nice. There's heat there, but it's all barrel spices so it is in no way a mouth scorcher. Finish is nice and long with noticeable warming. Mouthfeel is thick and syrupy. So in my initial review I couldn’t get over the mintyness of this whiskey (again, could be me) but that is long gone in this version which lets the more desirable elements really shine. NOW I see what everyone raves about, and I am so glad I gave this one another shot. At $60 this now falls into “steal” territory. No wonder it’s now vanishing from store shelves as quickly as it lands in my area. What once was a 3.5 is now a 4.25. Highly recommend.