Smells like the box it comes in - very woody and ethanol, like fresh wood stain. Spicy, aggressive, woody with a lot of esters of green and red apples. Drops of water is needed to round it out. Good bourbon, but with the continual price increases of booker's, this isn't worth the $80-90 price tag you may find. It doesn't have a long finish or rememberable flavor that most bourbons have at this range. What it is, is that it's a high proof 6yr old bourbon from Jim beam that comes in pretty packaging and it tastes pretty good - if that's for you then I would try it