Taste: 2 oz pour neat in glen cairn and then 4 drops spring water. Nose: (4.75) It is luscious and seriously Booker's. Let's you know right away that this is going to be a monster pour. Caramel, corn, a bit of maple, oak, apple, and that peanuttiness that comes from quality Jim Beam hits you right in the nose. It isn't a Mike Tyson type I am a brawler and knock you down punch, but more of a Muhammad Ali in his prime type I can dance and then knock you out type of a nose. There is ethanol but once it clears.... hello! Taste: (5.0) peanuts turn to peanut butter with the nice buttery coating. The front palate reminds me of every thing good about a taffy apple. Midway it give up maple syrup, and then the backend is oak. The palate stages like a rocket trip. I say this because it is not necessarilly a flavor bomb, but better. It is all that is good about vanilla, caramel, apple, peanuts, and then musty, tannic oak. There is also a chewiness in this that really makes it interesting. Finish: (5.0) Hugs you, cuddles you and then kicks you in the ass as if to say, "get some." The finish is long, luxurious and like watching Ali finish off an opponent after he ropa-doped him. A barrel proof of this skill belongs on my shelf. Overall: This lives up to the praise. This is what I look for in bourbon! It is strong but not rough. It is polished but not afraid to take it to you. It floats like a butterfly but stings like a bee!. Glad a Minnesota friend got me 2 bottles at $59 because I will not give them up for double.