Smells and tastes like ripe berries that have been lightly salted and smoked. It definitely is more fruit forward than the 10 year. The smokiness and saltiness is more balanced and subdued. This whiskey is perfectly balanced in my opinion. The only thing keeping it from a perfect score is I was wanting the finish to be just a bit longer. It disappears sooner than I'd like and makes me want to have another sip. If you love the 10 and can afford the 18 it's a 100% recommend.