No big expectations here - really just looking to try something new from the brandy category. As someone who likes cognac and Armagnac this started out with promise. Lots of caramel apple notes and older oak on the nose. The palate is a bit thin and follows the nose initially but turns leathery and a bit bitter. There is also an off, burning plastic type note that kills it for me on the finish. Trying to mix this ha proven difficult. As a whiskey sub in an old fashioned that bitter tannic twang persists, following what initially are really pleasant apple pie and caramel notes. Mixed with passion fruit liqueur and topped with club soda it’s passable as a summer drink but not one I would ever request. As a category I’m intrigued but need to find something, maybe even a bit younger, that doesn’t nosedive into bitter territory.