One of the first purchases I made after retiring and moving to Gettysburg. Along with a bottle of Midleton Very Rare Irish '17 (I know---overpriced, but it's Heaven sent and I love it), I will buy a bottle of this every year and nurse it through. From a relative novice, this is simply a great example of fine whiskey making. The Distiller's review has it right: you can nose this stuff for hours and keep picking out the barrel splinters, it is that strong. And yet, after the strong oak, we get a soft bourbon feel in the mouth which now includes a nice minty/menthol without the nasal attributes. Amazingly for a Bourbon there is very little sweet to this. In fact all of the usual suspects like Vanilla, Caramel, etc. are actually quite indistinct and nicely blended into the gentle 90 proof heat. With a small amount of ice chips, the oak splinters disappear on nosing and the whiskey opens up with tasty Mint still in fashion along with a Vanilla creaminess. Classic American Whiskey making at it's best. Barrel 4442 Bottled 9/11/17 $200 USD in PA