Nose: Jumps out of the glass. Plenty of light brown sugar, oak, and vanilla on tap, but balanced against the cognac barrel influence. Connecticut cigar tobacco. Chocolate covered almonds. Orange zest. Classic baking spices - hot cinnamon (the real stuff, not the cassia bark you get that's labeled cinnamon at the store), nutmeg, clove, anise. Fennel, too - slightly herbal. Dusty leather. Red grapes, raspberries, blackberries, Luxardo maraschino cherries. Charred wood. Really lovely. Palate: All the brown sugar, vanilla, and tannic, dry oak are here. Nice back and forth between thyme and mint, while there's an underpinning of basil. As mentioned, there's a nice tannic quality going on, with some subtle bitterness and char coming through. Dusty leather, cigar tobacco (now more maduro), and cocoa are all along for the ride, as well. That fruity grape note is still there, along with some bright lemon/lime character. Ripe dark fruits and berries. Maybe a hint of maple in the very back. Blood orange keeps coming to mind. This is absolutely rich and complex, but cohesive. This emphasizes upper palate, while the middle and lower are quite evenly balanced against each other. Medium-light mouthfeel. Finish: Sweet vanilla and charred oak swell up, with mint and berries coming just behind. This excellent tannin, ethanol brightness, and grape character comes in. Fade out on cream, leather, cocoa, vanilla, and mint. Just a tinge of pipe tobacco ash at the very tail end. Medium long finish, with the relatively low oil content still doing a great job helping this hang around. Other notes: This is excellent. Though it's not the big, super high proof, chewy type of bourbon I typically go for, the depth and complexity make this wonderful. The cognac finish really helps bring this together in a cohesive way while also adding a complimentary set of flavors that pair very well. The only thing I can really dock here is that the mouthfeel is a little lighter than I'd prefer, though stylistically I don't know that it particularly needs it. I can highly recommend picking up a bottle if you can. I might seek out a second if I finish this one fast enough.