A bourbon making its way into my glass, a rare occurrence. This dram from single barrel number 1146 was filled on the 18th of June 2013 and bottled on the 5th of November 2021. Graciously received from @cascode. N: Sweet buttery, and caramel laden, corn (unsurprisingly). A slightly dusty or gristy backdrop brings with it some wood shavings and a touch of herbal-menthol influence. P: Surprisingly vibrant and lively. Sweet, sure, but there is a depth to the sweetness. Not just corn and vanilla, but candied ginger, strawberries and cream, desiccated orange rind, and a little honey. There is a wonderful warmth to a well balanced astringency that delivers the best of the oak and a peppery spice. The end of the palate just about gets into a leathery presence. F: Medium. Coconut, a little cocoa powder, dark caramel and something fresh and red berry like. Whilst I am not well versed in bourbon, I am a particular fan of the leathery and thick caramel richness of the bourbon I do like, namely Woodford Double Oak and Russels Reserve. This one caught me off guard. From what I felt was a lacklustre nose the palate and finish gave me a varied and lively flavour experience that had me confused over what I was drinking. Certainly a fun and interesting dram that I would be pleased to have on permanent rotation. Distiller whisky taste #229 [Pictured here with a piece of Morton Gneiss from southwestern Minnesota, and the USAs oldest rock. Originally this was a granite crystallised form molten rock deep below the earths surface 3.5 billion years ago. Two and a half billion years ago it as caught up in tectonic collision that subjected it to immense pressures and temperatures and caused it to be intruded by another granite. The mixing of these two granites was further overprinted 1.7 billion years ago by more metamorphism to produce this wonderful gneiss.