As a 12-year-old Kentucky bourbon blend of 74% corn, 21% rye and 5% malted barley, with 93.8 ABV proof, Lone Whisker pours golden amber and delivers all the bold flavor notes and understated nuance you would expect from a high-end bottle. Each sip uncovers the increasing complexity of a master craftsmanship, helmed by Kent Jarman. The nose: Initial bright citrus notes of orange burn off quickly to reveal underlying toast and chocolate. The taste: Be prepared for smooth spices and oak, along with lingering darker fruits and the promise of dark chocolate from the nose fulfilled in the finish, as balanced as it is bold. There is a noticeable heat from start to finish that brings each phase of flavor into refined focus of depth and distinction, each note tasted as if played as a scale ascending to meet the root note of the major chord shimmering softly behind it all. This is sipping whiskey to be enjoyed at leisure and in good company.