Color is a bit light, but pleasant to look at through the beautiful bottle. I was a bit surprised, I was half talked into it at a liquor store while on vacation but found out it is blended MGP whiskey, probably blended in New Jersey then bottled in Kentucky. The nose is sweet n fruity. On the first sip, I get handed a toasted note with a light fennel bite, but then it turns sweet and you get the fruitness from the nose. The more it opens up the sweeter it gets. The finish is plesant and mild for a barrel strength. There is almost too much complexity to get lost in between all the grains involved.