Nose has a brutal edge to it, nearly slicing my sinuses off with it first blush. Moving past the alcohol bite bit there are deep barrel smells that overwhelm. On the palate it's slightly smoother than expected, but still packs a ton of tannic punch. It stings and makes me ponder why I bother with anything. This isn't the best attribute in a whiskey and I'd pass if you were casually interested. Glad I can replace the bottle with something else.