Per the man himself: “I like something with a mellow mouth feel and a long and very smooth finish. The bourbon we eventually found for Cream of Kentucky met our goals, and also had a nice creamy mouthfeel with gentle fruitiness a hit caramel and vanilla, plus some soft woody characters.” The color is a darker orange-amber. Unlike some bottles, when I pop the cork on this when there are no sawdust or funky aromas. The nose is immediately rich with fruity flavors of orange zest, cherry and clove. The oak is there too, but it’s a little deeper in the glass. It sounds cliché, but the oak aroma just resembles something a bit older and more mature. There’s also an unmistakable whiff of vanilla. I can convince myself there’s some crisp, sun-dried tobacco as well but nothing that comes across as leather or bitter. Another odd thing, my dog wants a piece of this. She’s a 10 year old lab and could care less about bourbon but there’s something she’s apparently picking up as well. Mellow, sweet in entry with a kick of wood and smoke by mid palate and then a building but gentle heat with lingering vanilla, brown sugar sun-dried tobacco and baking spices. It’s not as viscous or oily as I’d like but certainly not thin. This is approachable, mature, balanced and hits all the right notes. The age shows mid-palate through the finish. In ways it reminds me of GTS dialed down to a 7-8 but without the leathery and mineral notes. It’s just so well balanced... and the finish for me is remarkable without being an overzealous gobstopper like ECBP. I’m out $140 and am going back to buy another one if I can find it. Here’s to you Mr. Rutledge. The lesson seems to be never retire if you’re good at what you do.