This was a performance bonus purchase, because I’m loathe to spend hard-earned money on anything Diageo over $80. Nose is light and inoffensive, with jammy pears and apricots, a nice hint of honeysuckle and a small bit of very old, very sun-dried wood. Not bad, but nothing to make me nose it more than is necessary to actually drink it. Palate is almost oily, moderately rich, also fruity-sweet, and nicely balanced. Sweet apricot and bitter orange rind, sweet honeydew and tart apple, sugary canned pears and sour green grass. Finish is dry oak, which puts it a little too far into the bitter spectrum for my preference, and seems out of place with the rest of the palate. Overall it’s decent, but takes some work to pick the parts from the whole. If I sipped without thought, I would consider this an ok drink, but I say the same about Evan Williams BiB, and it’s $25 a handle, versus $155 a fifth. For that money, I want something that sings to me, that draws me in and compels me to keep coming back. This does not. What it does, is remind me to not spend more than $80 on Diageo, because I will forever be disappointed knowing I could have had a nice Laphroaig, Springbank, Ledaig, BenRiach or GlenDronach, and probably some extra money to spare.