Color: Medium Amber/Copper Nose: Familiar leathery nose, molasses (?), baked apples along with a slight alcoholic whiff. ** Drank with a large ball of ice. Sometimes, higher proofs don't drink like it. Well with this one, the 116 proof makes itself known. First few sips leave a nice long chest hug. Palate: Spicy, slightly sweet, and some buttery qualities after a few sips. **For me, I pick up more on the nose the more I drink. The second pour gave me a big dose of "strawberry/banana " on the nose. Nice! Some slight bitterness appears on the back end. As the ice slightly dilutes it, a nice brown sugar quality comes out. The finish is spicy and tingly — like pretty much every bourbon I've had. I want to say that I had the "standard" Pipe Dream Bourbon earlier this year/late last year. I had me a pour at a bar, and I liked it so much that I bought a bottle the next day. I like to support my home state's distilleries whenever possible, so I had to try this Pipe Dream Cask Strength when I spied it sitting in the office of my local grocery store (where I score most of my hard-to-find bottles at SRP). I have to say, though... for the money, I would buy the regular offering before I bought this Cask Strength again. Better value for the money. This is similar to the regular Pipe Dream, but stronger. There is definitely more going on with this pricier bottle. But I think I was able to appreciate the flavors of the standard Pipe Dream just fine without the higher proof. The $50 difference also makes the "base model" that much more appealing. If you can find this bottle, I say go for it. But you'll be just as happy with — and that much less poorer — with the standard Pipe Dream.