Peerless Single Barrel Rye "Boozey Cherry Bearclaw"

This is a distillery-exclusive release, single barrel, cask strength rye. Sampled at Peerless on 10/11, then re-tasted on 10/21 from a bottle bought at the distillery. Nose: Loads of cherry pie filling, oak, powdered sugar, with a hint of spearmint. Palate: Tasting notes are exactly like its namesake! This tastes just like a boozy cherry bearclaw. The mouthfeel is viscous but not oily. Chewy and sweet, oozing with tart cherry pie filling, covered in warm pastry dough. This tastes delicious straight from the oven with a dusting of caramelized sugar on the back end. Finish: The finish is warm pastry dough, with a touch of cherry cough drop. It's warming and lingering, but not harsh. Overall: Unquestionably one of the best single barrel rye whiskeys I've encountered to date. Tremendously balanced. It's sweet and dessert-like, but not excessively sugary. Drinks nowhere near its 111.5 proof and is a bottle that will sneak up on you pleasantly. Usually, the 'tater tags' are just an illusion of what's inside, but with this one, I'm still trying to figure out how they actually got that boozy cherry bearclaw into the bottle! Truly well done.