On the nose getting brown sugar, charcoal, maple, raisin, date, fig, and mesquite. It’s nicely pungent but an under current of ethanol mildly distracts. Palate follows the nose but add creme brûlée, birthday cake icing, vanilla, caramel, and cocoa nibs. Some creamed corn in the mid-palate. Rich, decadent, sweet, and dessert-y. Finish carries these notes forward but then morphs into Red Hots candy, chili pepper, mint, and sweet oak. Mouthfeel is full bodied and silky enough to be a perfect match for the flavor profile. So as a reviewer of many a Balcones whiskey, I guess you can call me a fan. And I’ve found that usually the best Balcones is a subdued Balcones (yes they exist) and that’s what we have here. While some of their expressions are like a jackhammer, this one is more of a scalpel. At $53, I feel it it’s priced appropriately. One of the better whiskies in the Balcones lineup.