Before the review starts, as long as Willett/KBD continues to put wax on screw top bottles I’m going to continue clowning them for it. :) Nose is pungent with toffee, candied nuts, prune, date, fig, pear, and maybe I’m hallucinating, but getting a hint of patchouli oil. All this riding on a bed of alcohol fumes underneath. That critique aside, this aroma is my jam. Palate is bold and opens with rich nutty toffee and molasses notes with some of that fig and pear from the nose in the mid-palate. Quickly transitions to the medium length finish of hot cinnamon gummy bears and peppermint, which then morphs again into a lingering brittle and nut. Nice ride. Mouthfeel is unctuous; fatty and oily. Not sure if this is chill filtered or not but it sure doesn’t feel like it. I will say, this surprised me a bit even thought I do tend to be a fan of Willet expressions. While it does suffer from a little lack of complexity initially, the richness of the flavors and interesting finish make up for it. Lot more going on than it’s cheaper, inferior, higher proof cousin Pure Kentucky XO, and more rich and decadent than it’s sister Rowan’s Creek. An under the radar bourbon; at $45, “it’s a rebuy for me, dawg”