Nose: Total fruit bomb. Super juicy nose with notes of orchard fruits – oranges, apricots, lemons, lemon juice and this bright red cherry note along with some Starburst candy. This nose already is significantly richer than your standard bottle of BT. Light caramel and vanilla appear deeper in with more spice than I remember finding in previous bottlings of BT as well. Notes of dried corn, strawberry pie, pie crust, berry jam with a big raspberry breakfast pastry note. A subtle red wine-ness on the back nose. Unmistakeable Buffalo Trace mash bill #1 (low rye) which I definitely think contributes to the fact that this nose is more fruit forward with heavier sweet notes as opposed to vivid spice/dry characteristics. Nose finishes so light and refreshing. Light oak notes, not dark or charred round off the nose. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Palate: Medium body. Having the bottle open a week + definitely gave this more body and continually tasted thicker as it opened up. Oak, vanilla cream and some burnt toast. The oak is more oak spice and mostly on the tongue which gently coats the walls of the mouth where as the burnt toast starts mid sip and fades off before the finish. Oak tannins also work nicely and are more pronounced here than in the standard BT. Mixed berries, black peppercorn and a sweetness in the form of cane sugar intermingles throughout the sip. After 4-5 sips I found things to get more bitter and the oak became the loudest attribute. Wood spices and spent tea bag quietly lead into the finish. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Finish: Popcorn. Burnt popcorn. Coffee and milk chocolate notes follow. Very solid, medium length finish. A good depth of spice intermingles with Demerara sugars coating your tongue and some light pepper spices, that never come full throttle, follow the sweet sugars. Very solid considering this is Buffalo Trace – a sub $30 bourbon. The most gentle wisps of smoke are the final reminder of this bourbon. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Bourbon and House Rating: 88 _______________________________________________ www.bourbonandhouse.com