Cracking this bottle because I deserve it after a rough 12 hour shift working on Christmas Day. Tried neat. On the nares I get strong oak and slight cinnamon and vanilla. First sip slaps you in the face with heat and spice. The kentucky hug leaves your tongue and cheeks numb and paralyzed like you swished viscous lidocaine in your mouth for 5 mins. And the Kentucky hug…. That is real also! Wow I can’t get much more through this heat. 6 drops of water added to my rather large pour adding notes of maple syrup to the nares and pears, apples, and stronger vanilla. The the palate it surprisingly gets sweeter to the palate, although still hot and spicy, with notes of brown sugar, toast. This hits likes a rye to me. Also… I added one ice cube to see if it uncovered anything else I may be missing and I think it actually negatively affected it. Definitely a rather interesting and complex bourbon that I am already interested to try again soon.