I bought this today on a recommendation. I went to my local store this evening, just to see what's new. The store manager suggested Yellowstone bourbon (and I promptly ignored him, since he was the same guy that recommended Wasmund's as the second coming of Macallan). But, I ended up in a conversation with a guy who works at a whiskey bar in NYC. He said his favorite all time was the Yamazaki 18, followed closely by the Laphroaig 32 and High West Midwinter. He recommended this a milder version of the 10, and well in the affordable category ($60 in central NJ). So...my humble opinion on this: it's not your classic "punch you in the face" Laphroaig. It's tamer. Not refined, just tamer. Big difference. Nose still has that medicinal aroma, but cleaner and milder. Not peaty, but a wisp of smoke. Palette is a bit of a mash up. Fruity. Like stone fruits and grilled peaches with honey. Finish is stronger---you can feel the smoke now. What I like about this is that it's simple, yet complex enough. It's smoky, but not too much. It's peaty, but not overly. What I don' t like about it is that it's all over the place. I can't really place a finger on a few key elements...instead it has a bit of everything. It's like family over Thanksgiving (or Diwali in my case). You have the crazy uncle. The nosy aunt. The obnoxious cousin. The sweet grandmother. Dinner conversation can be nutty ranging from the uncle telling about his motel he owns to the cousin talking about some surgery he performs, to the young nephew talking about his college girlfriends. (all true over my house at Diwali) But it's family, and it feels just right. I like this one, but I don't like it. You can have it over summer, rainy days, and well as cold nights. It's all over the place.