Dear Whiskey, This is a hard note to write, so a few things up front. First, and most importantly, you will always be my first love and I never, ever want us to break up. You mean too much to me, and I will treasure you always. Second, I don't want you to interpret what I'm about to say next as a personal attack - I know it's not really you, but the people who make you, who are to blame. That all said... I think I'm in love with brandy, too. And gin. And rum. You see, my heart is too big to ever be owned by just one spirit, and I think we're all better when we share, and live, and love together. Also, your prices suck right now. Some hipstery asshole with a waxed mustache in Brooklyn can pay a guy in Indiana to make whiskey for him, age it in tiny barrels for 6 months, and try to charge me $100 for a 375mL bottle of underaged crap right now...and enough people will buy it. Meanwhile, big transnational spirits corporations can phase out age statement whiskies for NAS bottlings of noticeably different quality, charge more for it, and have it flying off shelves...and don't even get me started about the "For Hedge Fund Managers Only" price tier stuff. Or...I can drop $50 for this armagnac and get a well-aged, complex spirit bursting with flavor and character. I love you, whiskey, but until the bubble bursts...you're gonna have to share me with some other spirits. Ridiculous conceit for a tasting note aside, this is a beauty. The nose is gorgeous - dried fruit, nuts, brown sugar, syrup-poached dried fig. The palate, similarly, is a complex, flavorful exploration of the nose, with virtually no burn (but a pleasantly gentle heat), a rich and round mouthfeel, and a salty, savory finish that lifts this into the heavenly realms for me. The care taken in cask selection and aging is noticeable here - only quality spirit in quality wood allowed to rest in a well-maintained environment can yield something like this.