The smell is amazing! It tastes rich and sweet with a noticable, but gentle smokiness. I lightly taste rye, oak, cherry, honey, leather, and toasted marshmallow. The Abv is a bit high for me, but it's balanced nicely so that I could handle drinking it in small sips. I enjoy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey and it has some noticeable similarities, but it feels a lot richer and more refined.