Nose: Straight away I caught the scent of orange peel duking it out with a buttery caramel. There was a solid note of oak and just a whiff of Rainier cherry. Because this is a stronger bourbon, I did experience a bit of fatigue trying to sniff for too long, but the flavors I mentioned were definitely the most predominant.
Palate: If you take this neat, be ready for a prickly, lingering heat. If you don’t like that characteristic, I would recommend going straight to a nice big ice cube and let it mingle in the glass for a bit to unlock the bourbon’s potential. Once you sift past the initial heat you will find a bright, citrus flavor, similar to a mandarin orange that has been rolled in cinnamon and brown sugar. On the backside I found a bit of spice that I associated with course ground black pepper corns.
