As some who enjoys a neat pour, this is a below average whiskey. I was taken back on the fresh crack, far cry from American rye. A few months later it has actually changed quite a bit. Super sweet with a decently spicy mouth feel. There's a dominant note I can't place. I'm new to Canadian whiskey, maybe it's normal but not quite pleasant. At $18 I can't really complain. May even be fair to say this is high end budget whiskey. Good background whiskey? That said, I'll be blending this with other whiskey searching for a better balance. Too sweet on its own.