alright… cinnamon candies, cherry, kind of slick–but not exactly “oily” (good thing). not much of a caramel-like note compared to most bourbons. i don’t get toffee from it either. it’s interesting for a 25 dollar bottled-in-bond. the fact that it’s essentially OG beam makes it super interesting, too. i need to look into the recipe. anyway, i got a popcorn note somewhere along the palate, which is found on some bourbons, usually described as caramel popcorn. but to me, my bottle has just popcorn, sans caramel. it’s a bit chewy, had a little of the usual oak & vanilla, w/ barrel spices. but this $24 BiB boasts an *almost medium finish. *not* a quick death. that, on a sub-30 dollar bottle is always a good thing bc i can’t think of any w/ somewhat of a long finish in this category unless the juice is…disgust-o, barf-o. i mean, it’s no knob creek, but it’s a close to medium, spiced finish. it also stands up to ice decently well for 50%ABV. unless you’re someone who regularly sips on 60%+ ABV’d juice & anything 100p or below seems like a light irish 80 proofer, which is doubtful, you’ll prob agree. it has body & texture, the beads in the bottle take longer than usual to subside / dissipate. but i have a bottle from 2022. not sure if that’s a factor in any of this. i can’t wait to revisit this bottle. i’m sick & taking a break, so i figured i’d stick this review up here since i’m already thinking about it. another thing…after the initial spice-hit, on my first (sort of big) sip, somewhat of a cilantro-cherry note combined w/ a hard-candy cherry (not a robitussin-like cherry mind you) is what i find directly after the cinnamon. it’s spiciest on the first drink, & maybe it’s from just having opened this beam bottle that’s been sitting on a gas station shelf in BFE kentucky for a good while. maybe it’s the neck pour. but the spiciness doesn’t disappear for the subsequent sips neither, just not as pronounced as the initial. another thing to note is that–i went into this bottle w/ low expectations, & the neck pour was very good. i could’ve been fooled, along w/ i presume most bourbon whiskey-heads. seemed like a $40+ bottle. so find this & keep one stocked. it looks old, it tastes good, it’s got history, it’s different, & it’s a great change-up that you may find yourself craving a lil dram of, or even a shot…? super easy on the wallet. what else you need to know? x X