Been holding on to this bottle since 2017 when I HIT on the Idaho State Liquor Division lottery for $87. Way past time to enjoy this with friends. Tasted neat. Dark rosie brown color and good coating legs in the glass. Nose is vanilla, floral citrus, and honey, with a light dry grain scent. In the mouth, immediate sweet--brown sugar and maple syrup--then vanilla and tannic oak. There's some spicy grass and ethanol in there too. Mouthfeel is oily and rich, but turns dry in the finish. Finish is spicy and sweet/sour and dry. Leaves your mouth tingling in a long slow sweet fade. Easy to sip, soft but with a good ethanol and spice bite. Sweet...maybe too sweet... but that eases with a second glass. Ice cube rounds out that sweet--tannic--ethanol profile. So there's all the hype about Van Winkle, and the scarcity and secondary market price gouging. Ok. Then there's the wheated bourbon, which is really good, but... it's made difficult to judge and enjoy because of the hype. Tried the Van Winkle 12 year with a friend two weeks ago, but we were outside, talking, not tasting. I do think that one (in memory) was a better collection of its parts, but that doesn't diminish this 10yo. I'll keep trying and thinking about this (like I do every bottle) and get back to you as I change my mind.