Rating: 16/23 N: The nose is rich and full with an herbal emphasis. I get black licorice, thyme, vanilla, and spices (cinnamon, black pepper, and clove). There's some wood and a bit of sweetness, but not a ton. There's something tart and maybe a hint of peanut and a dash of smoke. It's a little difficult to dig into, but it's a solid nose. It reminds me of a less floral, woodier, drier, slightly upgraded version of Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Rye. P: It's spicy (cinnamon, pepper, and clove), but smooth with a big woody presence and some herbal flavor (including black licorice) with nice big dose of vanilla. There's a hint of toastiness like a dash of peanut and a waft of smoke passes through as well. And of course there's that bit of floral flavor and maybe a tiny bit of green apple bringing in some sweetness. It's super balanced with a nice amount of complexity. F: The finish tends toward the herbal flavor with the vanilla hanging on too. It's nicely balanced between bitter and sweet with some cinnamon and pepper remaining. As soon as I opened and tasted this the first time, I knew it was good. It's balanced, rich, and full with a good amount of flavors that can be distinguished. It reminds me a bit of Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Rye (I've never tried the old, discontinued Jim Beam Rye that everybody hates), but with a more assertive flavor as less floral character. I'd say that the changes are strictly improvements, so I'm pleased to put this one just a bit higher. It isn't as rich, savory and smoky as Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye, but it has more balance and complexity. If the Knob Creek were at a lower proof, I suspect that I'd rate this higher, but that higher proof really does help the Knob Creek. I go back and forth between the two, sometimes putting the Knob Creek higher and sometimes putting this higher. I do generally put the Knob Creek at least as high as the Jim Beam though. For the price, I'll probably stick with the Jim Beam, but this is a nice rye that demonstrates balance and complexity with some nice flavors. Only on a rare occasion have I ever thought that this or the Knob Creek was as good as Pikesville though. I think I need to give this and Knob Creek the same rating, just above Jim Beam. At the low end, I can see that rating being a 14, but really I'm thinking more of 15 to 16. 17 seems vaguely plausible, but not at all likely. Normally, I'd look at what I just wrote and go with a 15 since it's the closest to the middle, but I do think in this case that the quality here is more of a 16. VFM could be better here, but it's still good.