Nose: Classic bourbon - all that brown sugar and vanilla, with an oak component leaning away from "charred". Cherries, with a little banana and apricot tossed in. Maybe just a hint of under-ripe persimmon, as well. Some dusty, sweet corn is present, though not nearly as dominant as with, say, a Beam. Nutmeg and stale clove without any cinnamon. Being a wheater, I'm not surprised by the tamer, "softer" notes all around. Maybe some roasted nuts, as well. As it opens up in the glass, I'm getting an almost medicinal cherry flavoring. Also some grape flavored hard candy character. Palate: Vanilla, brown sugar, and (again) oak that doesn't come accross as "charred". That cherry note is very prominent, with some mango, banana, and strawberry kicking in. I'm reminded of fruit cups, complete with the syrup at the bottom and the singular bright red maraschino cherry. Same nutmeg and stale clove vibe - stale in that the compounds that give cloves some of those harsher notes are all but gone. Tannins present uniquely - for some reason my brain wants to parse the low to moderate bitterness as being almost a little sour. This is all middle palate with some highs sprinkled in. Not much foudnation to speak of, which fits with the distillery's overall profile. Light mouthfeel. Finish: We get a small pop of cherries, vanilla, cream, and ethanol. Some general fruit characteristics come in, while the oak starts to stand out. Solid tannin texture and taste. Subtle bitterness hangs out while notes of that canned, slightly metallic vanilla frosting come in. Maybe just a hint of cherry essential oil popping through, as well. Medium length finish. Other notes: A classic wheated bourbon much improved by the modification to the aging process. I picked up this bottle just to see if my perception and opinion of it has morphed over time. By and large, while I'm better able to recognize and identify what I'm experiencing, my overall opinion really hasn't changed much. While not necessarily something I'd keep on hand, it's a solid example of the wheated bourbon category and something I can readily suggest to people looking for a friendly and easy sipping experience, especially as part of a back-to-back comparison with standard Maker's.