Nose: Big citrus and cherry on the front end followed by an ethanol bite and a bit of sharp minty/herbal note. There's some sort of spicy, yet cooling herbs and a real amount of oak. Thick, dark molasses and caramel on the nose now, with an almost burnt sugar and oak twist at the end. Brown sugar syrup hides the herbs after it sits for a bit. Palate: Hot and mouthcoating. Wow, that is an explosion of hot, spicy, corn! There is no hiding that 61.1%abv, which I don't know if I particularly like here. Immediately after that heat, there's a fleeting (very fleeting) grapefruit and lime note that I'm really surprised by, like this bitter/sour/floral type of thing that is hard to describe. There so much cinnamon and spice packed in here that the cherry and vanilla are hidden a bit, but still there. Caramel and corn sweetness round out that hot start. Finish: Medium length and mouthwatering. That initial spice and heat burst doesn't last long. The next wave is the sweeter fruit and vanilla, but the subtle corn and caramel lasts for some time. Every once in a while that herbal/oaky note comes back for a visit. water doesn't really do great things for the nose on this, it pretty much turns into a citrus-scented cleaning solvent. On the tongue, however, it becomes this thick, velvety syrup that feels like you can actually chew on it! Much less heat and so much more oak and spice now, that almost too-sweet caramel turns into a really nice almost-burnt toffee that goes really well with all that barrel char. That little bit of water makes this last and last! It's kind of like repeatedly liking the inside of a charred barrel that's been coated in caramel. Wow, this is so much better with water. Conclusion: I'm really not blown away with this stuff straight from the bottle, in fact, I don't think I'd ever order a glass even for a great price. It's just too hot, and not in a good way either. I've had some great barrel proofs that are nice and warming with enough strong flavors to break through that ethanol. This, however, is just hot for the sake of being hot. After adding a pretty generous amount of water this becomes something I'd order everyday! Though the nose is not something to call home about, the smokey toffee that shines through is the perfect thing for a cold night!