Strong vanilla and honey on the nose, with sweet grainy confections like oatmeal cookie. Apart from the bakery aromas, this smells almost exactly like you are about to taste an actual bourbon. The sweet expectation is not immediately met, however, as the entry is surprisingly sharp, with a piercing spiciness of wood and young grain, which then mellows out into the more familiar honey that the nose promised. I think this disjointed entry is unique to a fresh bottle, as it is smoothed over a little if open for a while. In any case, the spice eventually reemerges with a little bitterness, and lingers into the short finish. While not quite as good on its own as I was expecting, I got this specifically because I thought that it would pair nicely with summertime beers. I was not wrong on that front; this (or Black Bush) is exactly the kind of thing you want for that. Definitely one of my favorite all-around cheap blends.