Color is gold/yellow, lighter than a lot of ryes. The nose contains a bitter, prickly, spicy first wave: fennel, rye bread, pumpernickel, carraway seeds, and all that. The second sniff is softer: pine needles, mint, white pepper, herbs, cinnamon. The pine -- like pine tar -- becomes the dominant aroma. The flavor gives some real heat in the first sip: red pepper/chili flakes, rock salt, white pepper, some hot cinnamon. Again, one the initial face-slap wears off, it softens up, with linen/fabric softener, lavender, mint and just a touch of citrus zest. An interesting baby oil component; candle wax. The finish has a panoply of intense flavors: herbs, black pepper, burnt matches, cigar smoke, potting soil and charcoal. Emerald Giant is a pretty intense rye whiskey that has a ton of flavor, but is never punishing. It drinks great neat or on the rocks, and it stands up to any cocktail you put it in.