Wanderback American Single Malt Batch No. 2

Some months ago, I bought a three batch combo pack of Wanderback malts from Seelback's.   I found Batch 1 to be a rich, robust malt, precocious and mature beyond its two years.  On to Batch 2!  This whiskey is a year older, with the final six months spent in used rum casks. The nose is sweet - berries and pear, along with some chocolate pastry.   There's also faint savory note that carries over to the palate. At first it reminded me of V8 juice, and then a tomato based stew.  It's actually not a bad note on either the nose or palate, just a bit odd.  The rum notes are prominent on the palate. While the rum  finish doesn't obscure the rich malt notes, it does mute them a bit.  And the odd savory savory note flits around above it all.  The ABV of Batch 2 is a bit higher that Batch 1 - 50% versus 45%.  I'm not sure that's a good thing, as Batch 2 come across as little bit harsh in comparison.  Had I tried both drams in a blind tasting, I likely would have guessed that Batch 1 had spent more time in the barrel.   I wrote this review after sitting with this whiskey for the third time.  Initially, I found it to be rather disjointed.  That has improved, and perhaps it's starting to settle down with some additional air in the bottle.  Despite it's flaws, it's started to grow on me a bit.  But it doesn't live up to the promise of Batch 1, and is overshadowed by Wanderback's subsequent release, Batch 3.  That's my next review!