I was expecting an almost unbearable over-oaked wood bomb. I was pleasantly surprised and this is the one that few like so I can only imagine how much better the 20-24 year variations taste like. Nose is oak but balanced with cherry, corn sweetness and caramel coming out of the glass immediately with a bit of ethanol. If you dig behind the dominant notes vanilla, char, malty note can be found. Very heavy and rich bourbon. The creamy vanilla, corn and fruit sweetness and wood take the lead on the palate, with the caramel, barrel and rye spices coming in right after. Finish is medium with the spice on the tongue leading the way and yielding to the vanilla and sweetness and you are left with cherry and apple and a dryness from the wood and barrel char notes. With water and/or time the vanilla cream and sweetness is intensified and the spice and oak character is cut in half. However the apple note because it is minor is lost with the water/time and nothing tones down the char notes from 25 years in a barrel.