Confession time - when I originally reviewed this and raved about how good it was, I was actually drinking the Hand Selected Barrel 9 year old. That stuff is to die for, and you should track it down. I'm migrating my old review to the right product, and giving the real Barrel Select a visit. Suffice it to say this was a happy little accident, however! The nose on the real deal is warm and inviting, with caramel popcorn, banana, chocolate, and woody spice. The palate is a humdinger - the perfect amount of sweetness, with ripe cherry, vanilla, buttery popcorn, a little chocolate, and baking spices. The finish lasts a nice little while. I'm keeping this at five stars; it's still everything I could ever want in a Tennessee whiskey and a really good value at less than $50. Now, the big question - is it better than the Hand Selected Barrel? That might require a side-by-side sampling...hmm, challenge accepted.