Served: 1 Finger pour with 5 drops of water to bring out the notes. Notes: (I'm comparing this alongside the regular Bone Snapper Rye. This allows me to explain how the age changes the notes.) Right after my pour, I bring her up to the nose. I set her down, and then I bring her up a second time. The nose offers what the regular bone snapper rye presented, yet slightly different. The aroma immedialtey gives off a whiff full of apple cider vinegar followed by tannins, sweet vanilla carmel, pine, chrism, and a saltiness like the sea. I go in for a sip, and the X-ray coats the mouth with a thick oily consistency. I’m greeted with salted carmel, sweet-16 apples, tannins, and buttered oak. The mouthful finishes with a perfumey apple and vanilla tobacco taste. This rye is as smooth as can be while still giving off a pepperiness akin to tannins rather than peppercorn itself. It maintains complexity and sweetness, but it’s a lot more mild than the regular Bone Snapper rye. Comments: With age, the bone snapper rye known as the X-Ray 4 year reserve develops a lot more smooth and mellow complexion without sacrificing a slight bite that rye drinkers will surely appreciate. Backbone Bourbon Co. is just phenomenal! Both X-Ray and the standard bone snapper ryes are must haves in one’s cabinet. This Rye is a 4.0 instead of a 4.25 like the regular bone snapper since, I myself, enjoy a nice kick and deeper compexity accompanied by greater pepper-like notes in my ryes. Think of regular bone snapper like a younger brother to the X-Ray. The younger brother is a lot more wild and spicy, while the older brother is a lot more mature and smooth. Both are equally amazing, though slightly different.