Fresh off a stunning set of wins for best bourbon and rye from the world's top awards, this new limited edition release from Frank August represents an exciting new chapter. Their last release, Case Study 5, was just voted Best Bourbon in the world, but this takes the same ethos and turns things all the way up to 11. Here, instead of wheated bourbons, it's a blend of legacy distillate from 8 to 10 years old. They don't disclose the sources, but our friends at Frank have assured us that these aren't your run-of-the-mill bulk brokerage style barrel purchases. Instead, these are hand-selected from the finest stocks from Kentucky's historic distillers and deftly blended into a seamless package unlike any Frank that has ever existed. If Case Study 5 is the best bourbon, what does Case Study 6 become when it's even better? We'll have to wait and see because it will be long sold out before its various awards are handed out, but if you haven't tried Frank or if you have, there's simply nothing on the market quite like it. Let's try! The color is a striking auburn (1.5). It's extremely difficult to pinpoint what this reminds me of because the character of so many various distillers is seamlessly interwoven. Even on first nose you're getting a huge cherry and red fruit character, beautiful dusty sweet oak, twinges of mint and earthy herbs, nougat and poached pear, dark chocolate and fresh tobacco. On the palate there's a richness of character and texture that seems unbelievable for the age, and the sweetness is full on at the front offering peach candies, sugary treats, maple syrup, dark red cherry before shifting slightly darker and spicier on the finish. An absolutely stupendous feat of blending that was obviously extremely thoughtful. They're mingling just 5 to 6 barrels per batch and only 9 batches, so an extremely small release. For those who take the plunge before having to hunt for it, you'll be well rewarded for your punctuality.