Rating: 19/23 I tried this a bit over a year ago and was taken aback by how good it was. It wasn't the best thing I'd ever had by any means, but it was easily one of the best ryes. I wanted to run out and get one, but they're not so easy to come by. Fast forward to now and I've finally gotten my hands on a bottle. Hopefully it's as good as the sample I tried previously. N: It's actually kind of floral with passionfruit at first. That's surprising. Some rich woody maturity grows out of that, bringing occasionally hints of rose water with it. What is going on here? Finally, I start getting a rye bitterness, with kind of a bitter root character to it. It fits in with the other scents though. Gradually, I get some dry woody spiciness, but it doesn't take over. This isn't terribly complex, but it's surprisingly balanced and quite interesting. I'm enjoying it. P: This is much bolder and more fiery than the nose suggested. I do get some floral vanilla with passionfruit and hints of rose water though. Very interesting. Of course, I also get a big woody tannic flavor with bitter chocolate and beets. The alcohol doesn't really show that much. There are spices, of course. They just come right out of the dry wood. Licorice is here too. Possibly a touch of leather. It's a bold profile with a decadent character. There's some complexity, but it isn't blowing me away. F: Licorice, bitter vanilla, some woody tannins and spice. - Conclusion - There's a nice boldness to this that brings with it a decadence and a sense of maturity. I really wouldn't have guessed that this is only 4 years old, though I'm not sure how old I would have guessed. Certainly more than 6. I find this to be at least competitive with Wild Turkey Rare Breed bourbon (18/23). This is probably better. It's also definitely competitive with Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve (19/23). I can imagine this being a little better, but not a whole lot better. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye (17/23) is mellower and more approachable. Honestly, it's easier to sip. Still, I like the profile that this has better. It's intensely bitter, but it kind of tastes like what a rye should be. I feel like this and Whistlepig PiggyBack (16/23) have kind of nailed the two "true rye" profiles, whereas a lot of others end up more in the bourye vicinity. That said, tasting this next to the Russell's, I do quite like the Russell's. Moving on to Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23)... I seem to be out. Cracking a new bottle, I get some of those usual decadent flavors, but also a meatiness that I hope will work itself out with time. Aside from the meatiness, the bottle is delicious. I'll give it a while so that I can find out if what I have is a bad bottle or a bottle that just needs to be left alone for a while. Right now, I would definitely say that the Dad's Hat is better. This is highly competitive with (though quite different from) my Total Wine pick of Balcones True Blue Cask Strength (19/23). They're very similar in quality. The Balcones is more of a flawed masterpiece, whereas this is more of a brilliant execution of something that is a bit rough in concept. I'm looking at a 19 for the Dad's Hat. It's just so big and bold and decadent. It's not perfect, but wow it sure is a find.