Rating: 13/23 N: There's a big dry mustiness up front - sort of like old books mixed with something a tad numbing? There might be a faint faint mint presence way back in here. There's some nutty richness too. It most makes me think of stale hazelnuts, honestly. There's some depth to the scents here, which is nice, but they're questionable and what I get out of all of this is not the rich, full hazelnut liqueur that I expected. P: It's nutty for sure, but there are big earthy flavors too, as well as some spicy and herbal ones. The earthiness reminds me a bit of when cashews go bad from being exposed to oxygen for too long. This is sweet for sure, but not at the candied level that might be expected of a nut liqueur. There's a bit of minerality in here even. The profile is quite complex, but very off-balance. If you didn't tell me that this is a hazelnut liqueur, I'd probably like it a lot better for its complexity. As it is, Vita Divine Hazelnut has more of a pure hazelnut flavor to it, despite being lighter in flavor with more confectioner's sugar. F: The finish is on the bitter side, with earthy notes intertwined with nutty ones. The spices are largely gone, but mineral hints and some herbal flavors work their ways in. - Conclusion - I generally like the flavor here for a liqueur. What I don't like is that this is ostensibly a hazelnut liqueur. It reminds me of when I tried Chambord and found that it tasted like more than just raspberry. Sure, I like the chocolate flavor in Chambord OK, but it isn't something I want to sip neat very often and I'm not sure what to mix it with. I feel like this is probably easier to figure out something to mix with, but that doesn't change the fact that this doesn't have a clean and simple hazelnut flavor. This is more earthy, bitter, and funky than the likes of Disaronno. I like it more neat, but I'm also less sure about what to do with it. Examining the bottle more closely, this is made from "hazelnuts and other secret ingredients". With that being the case, I can appreciate this better. It might not be the right choice for confections, but it seems good as a liqueur that stands on its own. In that regard, I'd put it above Chambord and Disaronno. This is an interesting liqueur. Aside from the sweetness, a lot of whiskeys would benefit from some of the flavors it provides. But I'm still not sure what to do with it. Even just focusing on having it neat, it's kind of overly sweet with a definite stale flavor. I'm going to put this in the 12 to 13 range. I've decided that this is generally better than Chambord and beats Disaronno in at least one way, so I'll give it that 13.