I heard tale of this bourbon from a guy I work with who is very into the bourbon world. He told me it’s not mind blowing but solid, cheap, strong, and sadly, discontinued (turns out that last part was just a rumor at the time and it is still in production). So when I happened upon a bottle at a local shop I grabbed it and paid the man the $30 that the bottle was stickered at. The mash bill is 60% corn, 30% rye and 10% malted barley. Bottled at 57% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of dark copper. The nose is very minty/herbal/grassy to start, most likely to the high rye content. Rye spice, oak and sawdust, musty with a touch of dill. The corn starts to come through, but so does a bit of acetone harshness. More oak, and it’s quite nice, heavy barrel char, sooty, cloves and cinnamon. Charred orange peel, walnuts and banana peel. Floral, honey and apples, vanilla, chocolate. Letting it sit out a long time, over an hour, there is a light vegetal note, like cooked celery or water chestnuts. Water brings out more sweetness, stale popcorn, more vanilla, honey and floral notes, caramel and rye bread. The palate has huge oaky notes, rye spice and corn. Sweet and spicy, but definitely on the spicier side. Walnuts, banana, more rye and mint. Barrel char, caramel and vanilla. Not much else which could be due to the high ABV. Water brings more corn, less sweet and more spices. Spiced cake and some peanuts. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is lightly oily and astringent. Mouthwatering and then dry. The finish is medium long with oak, spices, corn, rye and caramel. Not great, but not bad either. Water helps make this more drinkable, but the key is ice. I found that a big ice ball (with or without a splash of water) really brings out the banana flavor. So if that’s your wheelhouse then load up your glass with ice. It’s not bad with a good dose of cola either. At $30 it’s a bit expensive to be used as a mixer, but the higher than usual ABV kind of justifies the higher price. While I’m not really a fan of ryes or high rye bourbons, I can appreciate this one. 3.25 Cheers