This has a more traditional flavor than the small barrel. Spice is present but less so and wood makes an appearance. Cinnamon and some mild creamy chocolate come out with mild tastes of red fruit and a rich sweetness. The flavors are mostly on point and some bitterness and tartness keep the sweetness from being overpowering. This is without doubt a couple steps up from Maker's 46 and for its smoothness I would place it a little above the Four Roses Single Barrel too. Spicy (mainly cinnamon) with some smoke, followed by a mineral tartness then vanilla and lastly and a bit of creaminess and coconut on the finish. It's good, but needs some work. The flavors it has are successful. There is richness and sweetness without an oppressive bitterness. The bitterness that is there has somewhat of a chocolate flavor mixed with rye. It's good and well-balanced, especially for the price, but it isn't big enough and needs less mineral. I like the sweetness, but it might be excessive for many people. The nose has wood and some cherry with a bit of woody spice. It smells a bit young but not too young. Ultimately, the nose is fine but not exciting. At least the nose has some bit of complexity. The palate has spice and wood with some cherry and a hint of rubber. It's kind of jagged like Old Forester Signature, but with less syrupy sweetness. The alcohol does come through unfortunately. The flavors stand out more than in W.L. Weller Special Reserve, but the complexity and execution are not quite as good. The sweetness is there on the finish, but the overall flavor is unfortunately not bold enough. It really tastes underaged, though it leaves me with a sense that it might have some promise. The wood does bring in a hint of umami and herbal flavor, but in an earthy way that I'm not a fan of. The red fruit is bright and tart, reminding me a bit of raspberry and making the bourbon taste younger than it should. The amount of spice is reasonable, but I wish it were less tannic. It's a tough call between this and W.L. Weller Special Reserve. This doesn't have the richness and has too much tart bitterness to carry it's herbal elements like Belle Meade Cask Strength does. At times the herbal flavor sort of adds enough complexity for me to like this.