High n' Wicked 5 Year Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon

From the 2024 batch. It's 123.2 proof. A curious aroma of chewy caramel, sweet spun sugar, cedar, toffee, blackberry, and toasted marshmallow. The alcohol scent is pleasingly subtle. The taste delivers substantial caramel, roasted oak, black cherry, cocoa powder, and baking spices. The taste intensity is fitting. The ending takes a very abrupt turn into a strong spice explosion that makes it feel "unbalanced" with high amounts of cinnamon, white pepper, chili powder, dry, bitter oak, and clove. It lasts a very long time, but you almost wish it would end sooner. I suspect its youth is quite evident here. The mouthfeel is rich, but has a gritty texture that became more and more bothersome as it mingled with the extremely spicy notes. It began promisingly with some pleasant classic flavors, but was ultimately ruined by a truly disappointing conclusion. It's just too young and not refined enough for my liking, and it likely needs several more years to age. For $79.99, I would absolutely not purchase this again. In fact, I've been let down by multiple High N Wicked releases, and I don't believe any of them have been worth buying a second time. Time to give up on this brand.