After almost finishing my first bottle of the current Rare Breed (116.8 proof), I found an older bottle and decided to compare them. Here’s what I got on this one. The nose has milk chocolate, some baking spices, vanilla, and a hint of plumb. The palate is a little sweet with a slightly thicker mouthfeel. It has some vanilla, honey, a little rye, and slight fruitiness. The finish is medium in length and has a little burn, and at a times a very slight momentary bit of ethanol. Compared to the 116.8 proof version, I would say this (112.8 proof) is not quite as good. When I first nosed it, it definitely reminded me of the newer one. But after comparing them back to back, the newer 116.8 proof has more complexity and depth. Maybe it’s because it’s the end of the bottle so it’s oxidized more, and I was comparing that to a fresh bottle of the the older 112.8 proof? Who knows. My thoughts are that they’re getting better with every release. So I’m not going to seek out these rarer older bottles.