Nose: caramel, corn undertones. Reminds me of white dog rum straight off the still. Little water & cherry opened up with a tiny bit of brown sugar & the pear appeared. Taste: not nearly as sweet as I expected. I get no rum or brandy (unsophisticated palate?). After a drop of water it got very sweet, loads of caramel. A "baking" kind of sweet... Maybe a little artificial. Long finish, even nasally. Bitter on the back of the tongue. Not unexpectedly a touch of water mellowed it out & really shortened the finish. Loads of caramel notes 10-15 seconds after swallowing. Overall I'm not a big fan. It needs water to really open up the different flavor profiles & take out the ethanol that could overpower the palate. Glad I tried, but not on the short list. Will add some interesting flavors to the infinity bottle.