I decided to withhold my review of this till some time passed and I got through at least half the bottle. I am very satisfied for making this decision. Close to opening, the strength of the heat subdued the lovely intricacies within. 8 months post the potential of this beautiful liquid has been fully realized. To me at least. Let's start with the potent yet involved nose. Out of the bottle I got so much leather I thought I was smelling a designer coat. Baking spices and red fruit took a back seat. After adding 4 drops the leather backed off a bit and allowed more aromas to emerge. I got sweetened grains/nuts, said spices, cherries, oak, and vanilla. The tasting notes granted me a wonderful and complex experience. Minus the H2O I got mostly char and cherry. Post drops it opened it up in a similar fashion as I witnessed with the sniff test. Additional notes of what reminded me of chocolate candy came through along with a touch of orange peel. The oily mouthcoating I felt was quite nice. It made the long, slightly dry, finish possible. I always loved the regular and rye versions of AE, but this took it to an elevated level. I understand now the costly price and fancy box it came in. A fine example of why there's segregation amongst these many spirit choices we encounter out there.