To prepare for a house crawl, I created a, mixer that was bourbon based. The question as to what bourbon that would be: it needed to be affordable, hold up to mixing and have decent flavor. This seemed to fit that bill (based upon reviews for good mixing bourbons). However, how does this taste as a stand alone? N: Sugary vanilla pudding aromas. Caramel with baking spices of cinnamon. Oak wood encased initially which weakens in time leaves the sweet custardy aroma. P: Wood, oak and spice fills the palate. Slight sweetness passes through, briefly. Almonds, toasted marshmallow add to the oaken spiciness. White and black pepper comes forward and more dominate towards the finish. F: The tongue tingles as it finishes. And it tingles for some time. White pepper, caramel which rides the woody dryness for a good length. O: This is surprisingly a good budget whiskey. It has a decent aroma with muscular flavor for what it holds. As a sipper, it can hold its own. But where it would work best is as a mixer. The punch holds allows it to stay strong no matter what is thrown in it. [$33/1.75][84/100][Tasted: 3/15/24]