In my opinion, this is a good whiskey but not a great one. I loved the nose. I smelled this for about 5 minutes before tasting because I enjoyed the nose so much. It's sweet with maple syrup, cherries, dried berries, oak and a hint of char. On first taste I was immediate let down. The overwhelming flavor and texture of the whiskey was a bitey, white pepper flavor that I was not expecting at all. After a few seconds the flavor hit in a really big way though: more dried fruits with layers of espresso and malt chocolate. The finish was medium length but the berry flavor left and it was more espresso and chocolate. All in all, I really enjoyed this but it's not a 98 in anyone's book, or it shouldn't be. I'm happy to have it on the shelf. If I could give this a 3.5 star rating I would just but I'll be honest and say that 75% of the 4 star I'm giving this is for the nose.