The return of SAOS, still MGP sourced with no age statement but supposed to contain 5 year juice. On to the review: Pretty weak nose, with some creamed corn, pipe tobacco, and vanilla through a thin layer of alcohol. Not particularly inviting, but not off-putting either. Palate opens with caramel, vanilla, and butterscotch. Good things are happening...wait...what's that in the mid-palate? Yikes! An astringent, earthy mint and pencil shavings that wipes out the initial sweet flavors entirely. Finishes with cinnamon and burnt oak trailing off into a kind of bittersweet chocolate which is nice. Finish is short. Mouthfeel is neither chewy nor watery, and is appropriate for the proof. Overall this is a weird one because it starts well and ends well, but the mid-palate experience ruined it for me. Maybe it's the young age coming through or maybe it's always this earthy at any age, but I found it to be very unbalanced and overall not my jam. Hard to recommend at $43