Not quite Halloween yet (Halloween Cocktail of the Day) but close enough so tried again anyway. Only thing I would add from my earlier comment is that this time I cut back on the lemon a bit (not much, used 20 ml) which for me provided a slightly better balance but then that may in part relate to the lemons one uses.

Lovely cocktail packing quite a punch. Quite heavy bodied so for me benefits from a long stir to provide a little extra dilution.

Your description "...forming a candy-ish note on the end. Really lovely" is very apt. That may put some off trying this drink but I would highly encourage them to try this cocktail as it isn't cloying at all as it is nicely balanced with the lemon which is not overpowering.

I unfortunately didn't have any rye on hand so just used 2.5oz of Bourbon. I will need to revisit this one as while I enjoyed it, I think maybe the rye is needed to better balance the overall drink. Having said that, very enjoyable, in part because I took a cue from the attached image to garnish with 3 cherries!