Tasting Barrel #19F963 Nose - dry oak, dark brown sugar, leather, and a faint evergreen note. Not especially rye-like, I could easily mistake this for a bourbon based on the nose. Palate - Caramel corn, dark chocolate, rye spice, some faint spearmint, vanilla and allspice. The finish fades more quickly than I'd like, with some oak and sweetness on the tail end. The first time I tasted this, it was a huge disappointment. We'd already had several other whiskeys prior, some of which were considerably higher in proof. In that context the M10 was just dull and thin, with the flavors being very muted. I've since revisited it a few times with a fresh palate and my opinion has improved. The flavors/aromas are there to make a compelling whiskey, I just wish it wasn't so subtle. This whiskey is at a 5-6 in intensity, where as I want it to be an 9 or 10. It just really suffers from the low proof, even more so than the M10 Bourbon. I also wish it had more rye character; even for a 'barely-legal' rye this one doesn't have as much of the green notes that you'd expect. I could easily mistake this for a high-rye bourbon rather than a straight rye. Bottom line, I should have tried this in a bar (if I'd ever seen it), so I could have had the experience without the price of a full bottle. If they ever release the 10yr at barrel strength, I'm sure it would be excellent; but this one is weak-sauce compared to competing ryes.