Nose has “ice cream sundae” with equal parts caramel, hot fudge, and butterscotch topping, along with raisin, smoke, and a wood that smells nothing like oak. Aroma is definitely good and strong. Palate opens with the sundae notes promised in the nose, and then transitioning to a big sweet creamed corn note in the mid-palate. Not as much fruit as the nose would indicate. Flavors are bold and punchy, but not a ton of complexity; lots of varying notes of sweet. Finish is medium length with leather, tobacco, bitter dark chocolate and wood, but it tastes like this was aged in mesquite instead of oak, an effect which gives the whole thing a smokey undercurrent. Mouthfeel is sharp and grainy; it’s got a ethanol bite alright, but it’s more from how the alcohol sits on the tongue than from the flavor of the whiskey if that makes sense. A solid and interesting whiskey. After sampling a few offerings, I generally like what Balcones has going on. At $50, this is “decent” value but not much more. It suffers from a bit of a simplistic flavor profile and an overly sharp finish, so hard to give it more than a 3.75, but I wanted to. Maybe would buy again in the future, but would have to be in the mood.