[03.24.2016] Found this bottle in Chicago last year and have been saving it til I felt the urge (or Distiller reviewed it). Lost power tonight, so it seemed like a good time to go blind into a whiskey tasting. If I didn't know better, I would say this is a lower year version of a higher brand whiskey. If you drink the black label Ezra for anything (I drink it straight when I'm cleaning the bikes), you'll find this to be a real pleasure. Previous reviewers have ignored the fact that it's pretty hard to find affordable higher proof whiskey, and this fills that void at 99 proof. Smoothed out by barrel aging, this still has some of the raspiness of the Ezra B. buzz saw known to torment my liver in my younger years. Vanilla is strong, oak is subtle and very spicy/peppery finish. There's some brown sugar and caramel that emerges with patience but air never opens up a decent aroma. Good buy and a good whiskey to share but probably not something I'll keep in stock regularly.