Nose: Balanced and very, very deep. In fact, it's a canyon of huge spice, molasses, butterstcoh and candy floss. And then it opens up and all sorts of dried fruit notes develop, then golden syrup, mulled wine spices, herbal notes, and then a crescendo of calves' leather and vanilla cream.

Palate: Mouth filling, it simply takes hold of you with wave after wave of engulfing spice oak, with the sort of tangy, puckering tannins that you'd expect from a bourbon of this age - yet somehow the oak never out steps its bounds. It builds and builds though, on the chewy, spicy, smoky oak notes.

Finish: Great length, one of the longest finishes in bourbon in fact! The oak builds as on the palate, and it holds you in its muscular clutches for minutes and minutes.

Overall: Incredible.