PRICE: $100. You have to stalk liquor store owners (and probably grant them sexual favors) to get a bottle at this price. Regardless of the price, bottles are typically sold out the same day it hits the shelves. Secondary market pricing is around $800-1000. INFO: Every November is Pappy season. Lucky restaurants, bars, and liquor stores get bottles of this highly allocated bourbon. This review is for the 2017 bottling that is aged 15 years and is at 53.5% ABV. The mash bill is (roughly) 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. NOSE: 92/100. Brown sugar, vanilla, toffee. Very rich and soothing. Damp wood base. Sweet sticky fruits: maraschino cherries and overcooked plaintain. Nutty: roasting chestnuts on an open fire, if I may. With water, it becomes more herbaceous. I recommend trying this both neat and with a dash of water. PALATE: 90/100. Very oaky. Very sweet. Not as complex as the nose, but delicious and well-balanced. Undiluted, dark chocolate, fresh tobacco, and nutmeg notes dominate. With water, fresh citrus and poached pears emerge. FINISH: 93/100. It’s long, and like a cherry Coca Cola and a Dr. Pepper, except warming and satisfying. Very smooth finish with no sharpness or bitterness at all. I think by going up the age ladder, a smoother finish and richer, rounder notes are what you’re paying extra for. OVERALL: 91/100. I’m relatively new to bourbon, but I already know several bourbons that are better. There are easily a dozen scotches around ~$100, and are readily available at all times, which I like better. This is not a dram that is very contemplative or one that will make you submit to its awesome power (William Larue Weller!). This is just… pleasant, and very appropriate for the Christmas season. I suspect its mass appeal is why it is so popular… imagine if Kentucky Fried Chicken only released 2,000 buckets every November. VALUE FOR MONEY: This is not worth $1000. This is not worth Judo throwing a 50 year old woman out of the way, who loves her husband enough to line up outside a liquor store for a bottle at MRSP. Right now, I can get a 2 oz pour at a bar within walking distance for $45. That’s about right for me.