Nose is full of brown sugar, molasses, caramel, waffle, mesquite, burnt sugars, nutmeg, and barrel char. Ethanol nice and low. Palate matches the nose quite well with additions of creme brûlée, raisin, dark chocolate, tea leaf, burnt marshmallow, and butterscotch. Flavors are dense and rich, almost “gooey” if you will. Finish brings heat and spice in the form of jalapeño pepper, ginger, rye, astringent oak, and unattenuated alcohol but after that it magically turns sweet again with caramel drizzled vanilla ice cream, which I found to be absolutely divine. And that note LASTS. Mouthfeel is full bodied and slick with a hint of effervescence which also worked for me. Very much a densely sweet and sharply spicy affair, there is a lot to like here if that’s your jam. A wild ride for sure, but a rewarding one if you’re willing to strap in. The finish absolutely slayed me. At around $70, it meets rebuy status easily, although I will say that like many Balcones products, I have to be “in the mood” because they are a little more challenging than the average dram, but overall one of the better expressions from this distillery.