Rating: 16/23 Today was a work anniversary. It didn't come with a party or more money or anything like that, so I figured I'd open up this 17 year old scotch to celebrate. What's the connection? This also sounds exciting at first, but I expect that it will likewise be underwhelming. N: Surprisingly full with a lot of barrel presence. There are also wisps of apricot and coconut coming through. Definitely a bit of that dry grain whisky bite. The barrel spices are cinnamon and ginger, possibly with some clove. A bit of nectary sweetness from the apricot. There's something funky and bitter that isn't quite sulphuric, but it gives me that kind of smoky, vegetal scotch vibe. It mixes with a bit of dry grain as well. This nose doesn't do much new, but it's actually quite enjoyable. Color me surprised. P: Sweet and unassuming. It hits harder than its proof suggests it should. It might be a hair harsh, but it's mostly hitting with spices. It's cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and possibly a touch of clove. Well, I guess the grain whisky in here is to blame for that bite it has. It oddly works. The apricot is sweet and comes through nicely, mixing well with the oily coconut and squeeze of citrus lemon and tangerine. The bitter funkiness makes its way in as well, coming nicely out of the oiliness. It's that same mildly smoky, vegetal, grainy profile from the nose, with maybe a hint of wax from some unclean stills. Late on, I realize that there's a nice mellow vanilla layer here that is more rich than floral. I'm pleasantly surprised by how good this palate is. It has some nice flavors without having anything wrong. It also has distinct flavors and enough oomph, despite being only 40% ABV. F: The finish is clean, with sweet vanilla and apricot with some dry grain and a little touch of that funk lingering long into the finish. The immediate finish is actually fairly rich and oily, much like the palate. It's miraculously on the sweet side a bit, rather than the bitter side. - Conclusion - This reminds me most of Compass Box Hedonism (12/23) and Cadenhead's 1994 vintage Deanston 19 (15/23). The Hedonism tastes more youthful and floral with more nuance, but also a flatter profile. It has a lot more vanilla, sandalwood, and coconut. It's a cleaner profile, but it all blends together more. It's fairly similar in quality to this. The Deanston has more funk and boldness, with a nice big waxy flavor. This is more restrained and nuanced. It really is similar to a mix of these two whiskies. I'm fairly confident at this point that this is better than the Hedonism. The Hedonism goes overboard and includes too much new oak flavor without enough of anything else to balance it out. The Deanston is a tougher call. There's a bit of something funky to the Deanston that it putting me off right now and it really does burn, but I like its bold flavor. This, on the other hand, has an impressive fullness with a very balanced profile and no off-notes. It's very easy to drink. If I have to go one way or the other, right now there's just some funk to the Deanston that is hitting me wrong, so I'd place this above it. It seems like I need to get Glen Grant 18 (17/23) into the mix here. What hits me first about the Glen Grant is just how much decadent malt there is in it. It's borderline nauseating following the balanced blend of this. This isn't to criticize the Glen Grant: it's a great dram. It just suggests that this may not be as rich as I think it is. Still, I'm not getting a ton of nuance from the Glen Grant. This has a little more going on, but not much. This is cleaner with more of a bite. I'm not sure whether either of those is a desirable quality. This is the first dram that I think might beat the McIvor. Gouden Carolus (15/23) isn't as elegant as this is, but it sure is fun and tasty. It does have that skunky finish to it, which I think is interesting but also don't love. Honestly, I'm leaning toward this right now. On the other end, I'm leaning in favor of the Glen Grant. I think that leaves this solidly in the 15 to 17 range, with signs strongly pointing to a 16. As a last sanity check, Monkey Shoulder (14/23) shows a lot more alcohol flavor. This is clearly better. This isn't the amazing find that I'd secretly hoped it would be, but it's better than I actually expected by a substantial margin. I was going to be happy with a 13 and surprised if I gave this a 14, with an 11 being my best guess of where I would actually end up. This won't appeal to those looking for big, bold flavors, but if you want a surprisingly full and nuanced blend, this is not a bad choice.