Subtle nose of aged oak, tobacco, and maybe butterscotch. Taste starts off bitter and woody with a bit of spice. Moves into a bit of caramel for sweetness but not too much and the heat remains for the finish. Not sure how much I like this initial taste, will revisit another time. Second taste was much better, perhaps it had time to air out and settle a bit. The bitterness and woody taste went away and the heat mellowed out a bit to make it a very enjoyable sipper.