With this one, I'll have reviewed 4 of the 5 Jim Beam small batch products (if you count the old Baker's.) This is the first one I tried of the bunch, and has long been a favorite. I got it within the past year, but the bottle is much older. It has the packaging that preceded the one pictured here, which has been replaced yet again with the return of the 9-year version. Nose: Classic Beam peanut brittle and caramel. Vanilla, brown sugar, cocoa, and maple. Tobacco, black tea, and leather. A little apple and a lot of orange/orange peel. Some ethanol and then loads of spice. Cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and ginger. Plenty of oak. Great nose. Palate: Caramel and vanilla lead the way. A lot of apple, toffee, and marshmallow. Some pear and apricot appear. Much fruitier than the nose suggested. Cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and oak. Some walnut. Carrot cake. Faint cherry. Mid-palate features more caramel, tobacco smoke, peanut brittle, and orange peel. It's solid and an interesting fruit-forward change from the nose; though I prefer the latter. The palate is less of the classic Beam that I've grown to love. Finish: Beast of a finish, even at 50% ABV. Vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, and peanut. Some orange and apple take over before a tide of spice rolls in. Cocoa. Clove, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, rye spice, and ginger. Oak and tobacco smoke hit heavy before this long finish reaches its end. It highlights the best qualities of the nose and palate. Worthy conclusion to a great dram. What a value. This one ran me a mere $33. Your dollar goes a long way here, and value goes a long way in my rating system. There is a great disparity in notes between the nose and the palate. It really makes this one interesting. This is one of the first bottles I bought for the purpose of sipping--years ago. At the time, I thought this was absolutely brutal. Now, I'm looking for just a bit more oomph on the palate. Funny how that goes; this one really helps me keep the journey in perspective. Let's hope the reinstated 9Y KC maintains or improves the quality of the fantastic NAS version. Four years later with another bottle of the NAS from roughly the same year, I boosted the score to 4.5. The nose is holds up to the palate, in fact, I prefer it by a hair to the palate. Finish is still gargantuan. Amazing bottle, glad I found one more.