Nose is stewed fruits with a dusty light floral spritz; think eating orange marmalade on a cracker adjacent to a wedding bouquet. Go too deep and you’ll find ethanol, but keep your nose above that and it’s rather pleasing, if not exactly exciting. Palate opens creamy sweet with more stone fruits and vanilla, midway turning to bitter grass and then even more bitter wood before a tingly, dry close. Very similar to the Oban 18, lacking only a little depth of flavor and the silkiness and maybe a smidge of the sweetness. I actually prefer this to the 18 because it’s more steady throughout, there are no disappointing surprises. It’s 95% of the 18 year experience, at 40% of the cost. It’s also a glaring reminder to not spend more than $80 on anything Diageo (except maybe Laga 12).