Trying to be unbiased as this might be my favorite classic rye. Took a few glasses over the course of a month to hammer down the intratester reliability. The nose starts with vanilla extract and a grassy hay note like the wicker smell from an antique store. The palate is complex ranging from bitter chocolate to tobacco leaf and you may find the similarities in good freshly baked cracked rye bread. Ice brings out deeper hay notes and syrupy grain reminiscent of sweet corn. The finish is pleasantly lasting inlaid with freshly sawed pine and licorice.