This one appreciates some air to open up. Take a whiff and note the sauternes on the nose immediately, along with some heat from the high proof. Come back in 15 and find a hefty dose of caramel corn. The sweet wine seems to recede to the background. The palate brings an immediate dose of spice and charred oak. Honestly, too much. A little too rough with the spice, oak, and high proof. Let's see what happens with some water. Everything is toned down a little. The caramel corn from the nose has come back, and now I'm getting the sauternes again. I'm not sure how well it works though. The main thing it seems to add is more sourness, and it seems out of place. Overall, it's not bad, especially at the sale price of $35, but I'd not feel great about this at the regular price of $70. The nose is my favorite part, but it seems to go a little downhill from there. Update: this has been a slow but steady riser. Each new dram impresses me a little more. The nose is definitely the star of the show - it leaps out of the glass. The finish goes on and on, and the bittersweet spice and sour is different, but growing on me. Update 2: now nearing bottle kill, this is becoming less appealing. It's hot and unbalanced. There continues to be an interesting mix of flavors, but I'm seeing that it's not one that calls out to me very often. Dropping score. Curious how opinion of a bottle can change over the course of consuming.