Did some research on this one , each year Templeton specifically select the best barrels that they have in the aging warehouse. The ages of the barrels used vary year on year but apparantly they are between 6 and 12 years old. Maybe knowing a little bit more about this swayed my opinion but i thought it was fantastic , adding a little bit of water as i went allowed me to find the exact sweet spot that i wanted the abv to be for my tastes. Exactly what a cask strength straight rye whiskey should be. A great find.