Open approximately 9.5 months Nose - Strong oak and rye spice, chocolate-covered cherries, black pepper, medium ethanol, orange peel, toffee Palate - Baking spices, charred malted barley, caramelized oak and toffee, minimal ethanol burn. It finishes with strong oak and tannins, much drier than I expected given the nose and taste. This is a great bargain rye and much better than most ryes that are in the $30-50 range, including almost all MGP-sourced ryes I've had. I think this hits the sweet spot between barely legal rye and 95/5 rye, with the high % of malted barley really balancing out the rye by adding those sweeter toffee flavors. It's never a go-to for me, but I have turned others onto this as one of the best cocktail mixers you can buy for the money. Highly recommend this for your bar shelf if you prefer rye over bourbon but don't want the noticeable bite of the 95/5 mashbill.