Tasting- 2 oz neat in Glen cairn, paired with an Arturo Fuente Short Story. Nose- Brown sugar, vanilla bean, and a whiff of boiled peanuts. The nose is traditional Beam with an oakier backbone. There is also a tobacco box aroma mixed in that showcases some of its age although a bit muted. Palate- The palate follows through to the nose, and the boiled peanuts become a little more roasty. A bit of seaside salted caramel makes a debut. Really quite delicious and dare I say "bourbony?" Towards the end of the sip and moving towards the finish is a bit of dry oak which becomes just a bit bitter. Finish: Here is where the flaw comes in for me. It is a bit dry and flat. As if it started out as a fine, fine, bottle and then water invaded the richness a bit. Think about how drinking a high proof on the rocks suddenly hits that point of breaking when the ice has melted a bit too fast. The finish is not quite to that point, but it teeters there. Overall- This is a solid bottle. At 69.99 and readily available I am in......provided that I had not had some of those older, single barrel, 14+ year bottles at 120 proof that are sadly becoming less an option. Saying that, I think the downproofing to 100 made it lose the richness while at the same time bringing out some unliked woodiness at the finish. This is a workhorse though of a bourbon. Suited for sipping, cocktails, being readily available, and just downright a homey type of a sip.