After reading @DrRHCMadden ’s rare 5 stars, I simply had to hunt down my sample and give it a try. I knew I had about 6cl of this, buried somewhere deep in a box full of maybe 400 other samples. Looking for one sample vial buried in 400 is test of patience. Especially when all the vials look alike. Poured 3cl of it, let it sit…and on to trying this bad boy… After going through the toils of the search, I was so looking forward to trying it. Not sure if it expected more, as is the case with anticipation, or that it just wasnt my type, but I felt a bit of a let down. The aroma is the best part. Sherry goodness. Nuts, fruits, a hint of smoke, sandalwood. I can nose this all day. The palette is a step down. Dates, cinnamon, dried fruit. The wisp of smoke is gone. But for me, it fell apart in the finish. Was simple too hot, with a lingering cinnamon heat. Didn’t feel like a 17 yr old, but much younger. Just to make sure, I poured the the other 3cl with a few drops of water. It probably needed to open up a bit? Years of sitting in a sample vial could’ve had an impact. Nope. Even worse. The palette fell apart. So, I see I’m probably the outlier in these reviews. Maybe I had a bad sample? I purchased this sample from an online retailer ages ago, so they could’ve poured the open oxidized bottle into the vials? Who knows. More like 2.0 for me, given the price…but bumping it up to a 3 considering the variables that could’ve gone wrong when purchasing a sample pour. Hopefully I’m the outlier. I do have a full bottle of this somewhere, so will have to simply try it again someday