Up front, this bottle was opened a while back, and I've had it a few times (bought it for a small whiskey tasting group I'm part of). I overpaid ($550), but given 5 of us ponied up, the extra $10-$20 per person seemed 'acceptable' Anyway, to the rating...the nose on this is an absolute fruit bomb. Raspberry, strawberry, cherry - all are present and it the nose is sublime. Plenty of brown sugar...fondant...buttercream...in other words, its sweet, but there's also some oak that, while not overpowering, is present and keeps things in balance. Really nice all things considered... Flavor is quite good as well...and continues to be on the sweeter end of the spectrum. Cherry syrup that borders on medicinal but doesn't reach the point of being offensive...more dark fruit, hints of vanilla and spice...it is *good*, but maybe it is the heavy cherry character or something else, but it falls well short of *great* for me. Great viscosity - this whiskey truly has some 'legs'. If you poured this for me blind, I'd enjoy the pour, but it resonates as something in the $150-$200 range, and quite frankly, I'd be disappointed if I had ponied up $500-$550 for this by myself. Not worth the price, but regardless, a damn fine whiskey inside this bottle...