Nose: Wood aromas floating on a raft of ethanol. Vanilla pods, butterscotch sauce, sweet freshly-mown hay, lemon zest, licorice, ginger pieces in syrup, treacle. Over time the nose melds into a powerful and cohesive hard toffee presence dressed with rye spice. The oaky, almost cedar-like wood note never disappears. Water considerably softens the nose (see notes below). Palate: A forceful sweet and woody arrival, quickly unfolding into spicy vanilla and tannin. Some stone fruit and molasses on the development with ginger, licorice, the bitter sweetness of Dundee marmalade, astringent black tea and burnt white marshmallows. There's also an undertone of barely constrained hot seedy spices - caraway, clove, nutmeg, cardamom and fenugreek - simmering in tobacco juice. It's like some sort of potion you'd normally use to tan leather! The texture is creamy but with a grippy edge. Again, water works magic on the palate. Finish: Medium/long. There is a slightly sour cherry, tannin and charcoal aftertaste when neat, but a much sweeter character when diluted. The neat nose is pungently powerful on this whiskey to begin with and frankly a little rough. However it's not an alcohol burn - more like the sharpness of solvent ether or acetone. I guess it's the combination of rye, tannin and relatively high abv acting together. Approach it recklessly and you'll get a smack in the face you'll not soon forget, but give it some time and the suave side is apparent. The palate is definitely clustered around the rye component and there is a dry spicy quality right through the profile. This is not a sweet, plump, fruity and easy sipping type of bourbon with big raisin and brown sugar flavours. Taste it with that knowledge firmly in mind and it will make a better impression. Dilution is strongly recommended for this bourbon. It takes the edge off the ethanol spike and unleashes some delightful floral notes on the nose. The palate becomes sweeter and more controlled but the spice note is still clearly present - it just seems more in balance. The prickly heat of the neat palate becomes more like bittersweet cocoa and even a little sweet orange tone is detected. The texture is not diminished and the finish becomes rounder and more satisfying. Overall the whiskey now presents approachable warmth rather than fire. A nice bourbon - not an immediately easy drop, but one well worth tasting. It's also a good mixer, retaining its character in any cocktail or long drink. I wouldn't call WT101 my favourite bourbon, and to be honest I think I prefer the lower strength Wild Turkey. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)