The color is a glowing, rich amber that immediately clings to the sides of glass, endlessly dripping down. The nose is welcoming with vanilla pastry cream, oak, old leather, floral rye, cooked caramel and just the perfect hint of dried fruit. It’s not as overwhelming as you might expect given its proof and the variety of age statements, rather there is the perfect blend of each that all of the elements are presented on their own. The palate is somewhat dry oily, with the floral rye mixing with the pastry cream to coat the mouth in a wonderful mix of flavors, while enough spice and pepperyness comes out to keep it all balanced, while an interesting creamy maple comes out at the end to give a pleasantly unexpected finish to the palate. The finish is medium long with that burst of spiciness subsiding leaving the palate to take its time in fading. Maybe not as impactful as previous years releases, but a master stroke none the less and a truly excellent bourbon.