N: Mostly anise, but there are hints of vanilla, caramel, baking spice, cooked vegetables, and wet earth. Might be a dash of sea spray and salt, but I might be imagining that based on the story of how this is made. P: Anise again - I mean, I think that's basically the point. But there's a lot happening behind that: caramel, vanilla, lemon cough drops, baking spice, barrel heat, chalky mineral water, black licorice (more candy-like than the anise). Mouthfeel is soft and creamy. Finish is relatively long with anise (obviously), cream, cinnamon heat, and chili pepper heat. My dad's side of the family came to the U.S. from Norway about a 100 years ago. I got curious one night and wondered, had things gone differently, what would I drink if I grew up in Norway instead of Minnesota? What do my distant relatives over there prefer? The internet tells me this is it: a potato based spirit that's flavored with anise, caraway, and other spices, and then is barrel aged on a slow boat from Norway to Australia and back. Obviously, I had to try that. There's nothing I can fairly compare this to. This is my first aquavit, so can't compare to another. It's not a whiskey, despite being aged like one. It's not a vodka, despite being potato based. It's flavored like a cordial, but it's also 80 proof, the starting point for the harder liquors and more than most cordials. This is really just its own thing. And I like that about it. The profile on the whole strikes me as grown up and well developed. It stands on its own - there's enough going on behind the anise for it to work and be interesting. It's not going to replace my shelf of bourbon, scotch, and Irish whiskey, but it's a nice change of pace that might find a permanent home next to all the others.