Rating: 13/23 N: Sweet and rich with fruit (cherry and raisin), caramel, and a bit of sharpness. It smells quite full, but not terribly complex with a few rough edges that keep it from really being balanced. I might get a whiff of confectioner's sugar. P: Just a tad harsh. There's spice and sugar with a slightly artificial caramel. I get the raisin and cherry from the nose, but despite being sugary, this tastes thinner and younger than I'd expected. I get a little bit of a confectioner's sugar flavor, but it doesn't come with that chalky, mouth-coating texture. Pierre Ferrand Double Cask tastes more complex, but the youthful notes are similar in both. This is actually richer and fuller because of it's mild syrupiness, but there's less wood to provide maturity. F: The caramel lingers for a while, alongside a hint of burnt sugar and some vague raisin notes. - Conclusion - Between this and Pierre Ferrand Double Cask, I'd say that the Pierre Ferrand is definitely the winner by somewhere in the range of 2 to 4 points (a vague range, unfortunately, because I haven't rated the Pierre Ferrand yet either). A De Fussigny XO is substantially better than either this or the Pierre Ferrand. I have it up around a 20. Working backward, I can't see this being better than a 15. The Pierre Ferrand is solid as a sipper, whereas this is more tolerable as one (but probably quite good as a mixer). I think a low estimate for this one is a 12. I think it's going to come down to a 13 or 14. I just don't think it's enjoyable enough to sip. Going cross-category briefly here, I have Wild Turkey 101 down as my quintessential 14. I don't find this quite as sippable as the Wild Turkey. It's pretty close though. As a mixer, this seems to be priced pretty well and packs the flavor needed to stand out. For sipping neat, it's about as good as it gets for the price, but I'd pay up for something better. I don't think I'd go very far out of my way to find a bottle of this for mixing over something else in the price range. Continuing to contemplate this, I think I need to go with a 13, unfortunately.