Pours an old gold, honey-yellow color. A jagged crown of spidery legs. The very first scent is heavy sherry barrel, perfumed to the hilt. It's followed by butter and half-and-half cream. The wood from the barrel really permeates the glass. Just the slightest peppery barrel spice. The first taste is more of that perfumey barrel-wood stuff. It's a combination of port wine, barrel char, and peppered oak. Sugarplums and sherry. Some red wine grapes and berries. At the swallow there is milky cream and just a touch of metallics, like a roll of nickels. The finish is surprisingly salty, with some white pepper and more barrel char. Tannins leave a very puckery lip-smack. Some treated leather, but even in the finish, the perfumes are this dram's defining characteristic.