Golden straw in color with a solid hue of copper. Noses light caramel, vanilla, and shortbread. Fruit cake, Christmas cookies and preserved lemon pop through a soft, warm woodiness. Sweet all around, but especially up front. Theres a toasty pie crust character that gives way to a pleasant musty corn note on the mid palate. This part is distinctive and wonderful. The finish is long, but loses its dimension and complexity about middle way through. Its a nice dance back and forth between the dry oak and light char with the sweet notes of carmel and vanilla. Might be my favorite Old Forester that Ive tasted. I can't not give this a 4