CoK has been pretty polarizing in online groups. A lot of complaints about the price. After all, it's just sourced bourbon from Barton 1792 (supposedly). Setting aside the price discussion, actual reviews of the whiskey itself seem to have been getting better with each batch/release. So I decided to give batch 4 a try. Nose - It's a pretty traditional bourbon nose - antique oak leads along with caramel, vanilla, cinnamon and clove. Also some orange peel, and freeze dried apples. There's some ethanol at first - the nose is a bit hotter than expected for 102 proof, so letting it breath for a while is recommended.  Palate - pleasant mouthfeel, really coats the palate. Dark brown sugar leads along with earthy oak, vanilla, baked apples and baking spices. The finish lingers, with a really nice sweet note along with oak and spice. There's a warm Kentucky hug, but it's not at all harsh or hot. All in all, a pretty traditional bourbon profile, but very well executed. I like how the sweet note stays with the oak all the way through the finish, which is quite long for 102 proof. At this age it's not unusual for the oak to start taking over and drying things out, but that doesn't happen here. I think the proof is also about right; this is a really balanced whiskey, and the flavors are concentrated enough that I'm not sure cask strength would add much other than more heat. It may be Barton juice, but it's better than anything I've had with 1792 on the label, so I have to give Rutledge some credit for the blending here. Yes, it's more expensive expensive than I'd like, but they seemed to have priced it about right for the current market. It doesn't immediately fly off the shelves around here, but it does sell without sitting for months/years the way the Whistlepig Boss Hog or Kentucky Owl does.