Taste: 2 oz. neat in glen cairn Nose: (4.75) Chocolate, cherries, toasted buttered rye bread, red apples, cereal bars, and smoke. Super luxurious nose. You smell it, you want to taste it plain and simple. This is rich. Palate (5.0): The apples and brown sugar come through, but then you get a spicy hit. Allspice perhaps? That rich dark chocolate is on the back palate along with the cherry. Reminds me of biting into a chocolate covered cherry cordial. The mouthfeel is buttery, not coating. The legs are thick and slow with this one. Finish: (5.0) Sweet cream butter, chocolate, rye, and a puff of smoke. The cereal bar on the nose comes in. There is some well mannered oak too. Overall: I have waited to rate this one until now. It is such an intense and delicious offering at the get go I didn't want to jump to judgement. The verdict is in.....hands down, if not THE best rye out there. I still cant decide between this or the Cornerstone Rye. They are different but the difference is like trying to choose your favorite car between a classic Corvette or a Shelby GT 500. Different animals, gorgeous in their own right