Neck Pour Nose: Sweet fruit and raisins, cut grass, light mustiness/earthiness, ethanol, graham cracker, anise Taste: Sweetness on the arrival with a medium body. Barley and a bit of fig play out early on. The middle is composed of a hint of pepper spice and anise. The fig and anise draw out on a moderately long finish along with some light smoke. There is a bit of funkiness between the black pepper and fig at the end of the finish that is not undesirable to me but is odd nonetheless. This is a little hot, but I'll let it settle down in the bottle before making this judgment. Comment: This almost feels like a crossover between a nice reposado tequila and Glenmorangie. Very similar to what I think Highland Park 12 would taste like without the peat influence. Taste with 2 ml of water and 12 more minutes: Honied sweetness on the arrival opened up far more while also opening up the funky earthiness in the middle. The anise and fig still linger with a hint of smoke. Everything smoothed out a bit while making the barley more pronounced. The pepper has started to disappear in place of more prominent smoke and grain notes. Great value for a 12-year-old highland, but it doesn't beat bottles that are $50+.