My favorite of the budget bourbons. Corn, tobacco and leather on the nose, sweet palate with some citrus (orange peel?) and smooth finish with some more sweetness despite some roughness around the edges. In a blind taste test with friends, this showed well and was favored by all over Jim Beam White... most preferred it over Evan Williams Black, Jack Daniels, and Four Roses Yellow Label. EDIT: I had posted a comment about recent bottles seeming milder/younger, but it was probably because I was tasting Benchmark after finishing off a handle of 90 proof Ezra Brooks (robust, and not particularly smooth or sweet)... I had Benchmark and Eagle Rare back to back this evening and was shocked at how close the $10 Benchmark came to the $30 Eagle Rare... yes, it lacked some of the ABV, barrel influence, and finish that helps balance Eagle Rare, but was very close and reminded me why I keep buying Benchmark at 1/3 the price!