The nose is a bit tight, reluctantly giving up brown sugar on warm cereal, dried banana chips, honey peanuts, and figgy dried fruits. The palate comes across really dense and chewy with dark berries and sweet prune notes, laced with licorice and cinnamon spice. The dark fruit flavors feel lush and decadent, while drying oak lends lovely maturity and polish. As Baker’s is now a single-barrel product, your experience may vary with each bottle, although the proof will remain the same. (JL, Winter 2019)