Rating: 14/23 N: Tart with dry barrel spice leading into tannins. There's a kind of caramel sweetness and bit of vanilla as well, but those scents are fairly restrained. It isn't all that complex, but it's a nice, fairly typical bourbon nose that I definitely believe leans into the rye. P: There's a dry, spicy bite right at the beginning. I'm getting a bit of Canadian rye vibe here. There's more vanilla sweetness here than I'd expected. There's plenty of wood, though it's a tad less than I thought it would be. The tannins also show a hair more than I'd like. There's an odd sort of wateriness in with the spices, as well as some clean, bitter herbs. I'm definitely tasting that rye here. Occasional notes of anise. Very very faint hints of peanut. I get a hint of beets at times, but not like I do with some really intense ryes. The palate has a decent amount going on, but it isn't super complex, I like its rye flavor, but the balance is a bit off in places. F: Lingering anise and vanilla pod, with some tannins and spicy burn. Occasional dry woodiness as well. It's kind of rich and decadent and it sticks around for a while, so it's fine. - Conclusion - I like this. I don't love it and I do think that it needs some work, but it's a fairly enjoyable sipper. I'd probably take 1792 Sweet Wheat over this though. Four Roses Single Barrel (15/23) is lighter and shows its alcohol more while retaining a spicy nature, but there is more complexity to the Four Roses - though I wouldn't say that it is more balanced. Honestly, the two are quite close. I do think though that the Four Roses is a little ahead because of its nice complexity. I wouldn't go lower than a 13 on this. I think it's fairly nice. I'm probably going with a 14, but I might end up back up at a 15. Elijah Craig Small Batch (15/23) is mellower than this, but as a nice sweetness to it, with some chocolate notes. It's a tough call here, but I think that this manages to be a low 15. Oof, coming back to this for a final sip, I don't like it quite as much. I think that this is now a 14. I'm now finding the Elijah Craig to be a little bit better than this. Thanks to @Milliardo for another rare bourbon sample!