This is one of the best new whiskies I have tried in a long time. The smell is extremely pleasant with a lot of good sweet notes. The nose, while sugary, is not overly so, nor does it feel artificial, just a really good, smooth sweet smell. Those flavors carry onto the palate, and open up to vanilla with that light character that is so nice in a Japanese whisky. The finish is extremely smooth as well, and opens up a bit more with some honey, and a nice, lingering flavor. I was pleasantly surprised by this bottle. It has a lot of the sweet flavors of a bourbon, but it's so smooth and has none of the bite that a lot of other whiskies have. This may be a bottle I try to keep on the shelf at all times.