So, this was an exciting find/research realization. As I thought the other day about what my bourbon and general whiskey "stats" are, this hits a lot of them; great age, high rye, decent proof, decent color, and average price. When I lay it out like that, it doesn't sound all that exciting, but given the sea of sub-par and bleak competitors out there, this one seemed to shine as something different. The nose has really nice spiced rye, vanilla, and caramel notes, but it all rides on a bright, fruity body. I even feel like I get some banana, perhaps covered in a sugary glaze. During the taste, I almost immediately keep thinking of that fruity/banana nose from before, as that taste starts to come through with a sugary, fruit salad vibe. The body was the only thing I was worried about (due to the proof), but honestly, this flavor likely wouldn't taste much better at a stronger proof. That vanilla and caramel from the nose is totally missing, though. The finish is mouth coating, but leaves a lot to be desired. When they say high rye, I believe it, but unfortunately, neither potent rye spice or sweet corn seem to come through, which makes me wonder what a younger version of this distillate tastes like, and if it would work better. Hopefully it wasn't just general excitement or perhaps resentment at spending $50 for a bit of a let-down, but the first few sips were really working for me. However, as I kept going, I feel like this is more of a cocktail bourbon, which would be fine, if I didn't already have plenty of underwhelming products that already take that title. There's something about it, though, that I look forward to finding out perhaps on a re-taste.