Nose - pear, apple, honey, oats, decaying grass, cereal grain, coconut, old wood, white wine, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - pear, coconut, apple juice, wet grass, honey, melon, cereal grain, grape, cinnamon, bitter herbal notes, barrel spice, orange blossom, yeast, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with honeyed fruit, dry herbal, and grain flavors. This is definitely a step up from the Shieldaig Classic, but it still tastes young and cheap. Thankfully, spoiled meat and plastic tastes aren’t present here, but there is an off note I can’t quite place. Maybe it’s the decaying grass, bitter herbal, or just a hint of sulphur. Whatever it is, it’s not terrible. There’s still some of that same youthful graininess throughout, but nowhere near as pronounced. At around $35, I wouldn’t call this a rip off, but you can do much better in that range. I won’t spring for a higher age statement version of this, but I imagine the 18+ year expressions might be pretty good.