The nose starts with caramelized bananas, stewed sour cherries and flapjacks cooked in bacon drippings then dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and espresso followed by Granny Smith apple peel, lemon zest and mandarin oranges followed by ginger, spearmint, cloves and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with caramelized bananas, stewed sour cherries and cinnamon sugar dusted donuts then a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to a spicy mocha and toasted hazelnuts followed by Granny Smith apple peel, sour lemon candy and mandarin orange zest followed by ginger, spearmint, cloves and mildly bitter black tea with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a spicy mocha, orange peel, caramelized bananas, sour cherries, black pepper, burnt caraway seeds and mildly bitter black tea. Overall, I think this is a solid and tasty bourbon that those traditional bourbon flavors are dialed up with that high proof, but the fruits are on the sour side along with a bitter over-brewed black tea note and moderate spice that my palate doesn't particularly care for and takes away from the experience for me. This is the first of my Elijah Craig series and it should be interesting to see how the different batches compare as I make it through them. Thanks @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.