Smell: Straight out of the bat, candied ginger, fresh pale sultana raisins and vanilla stands out first. It appears quite sweet from there. But, as you keep smelling, there is a roasted green pepper note coming out. A little black pepper and brine. The peat is light but it's there. Sweet, savory and a little vegetal. WITH WATER: Less sweet than at first and more in line with the taste with water. Taste: Less sweet than the smell, but the notes are relatively the same except it's the savory notes that come first. The roasted green pepper comes out first with the pepper and salinity/brine. There is an added slight rubber/soot note in there that I didn't find in the taste. Then, candied ginger come in strong with the pale sultana raisins bringing a touch of acidity. Vanilla is ever present throughout the taste. WITH WATER: The balance is quite a bit better. There is a malt/granola note that comes up that I didn't notice before. Maybe the peat is a little bit more on the soot side than rubber too. Finish: The finish is mainly the candied ginger, pepper, brine and rubber/soot notes. Last quite a while. There seems to a solid amount of oil content in there. Mouthfeel: Decently thick and viscous for only 46% ABV. It won't compare to cask strength bottlings I had but it's much better than the average 46% bottle. Overall: This is a bottle that from the very first sip I knew I loved it and it was something special. It's very very good and complex. For the original price I paid (74.50 CAD, now 88.50 CAD), it was an incredible steal. It is by far the best whisky under 100$ I've had in my life so far, no contest.