when the head review of this says butterscotch, it means its main ingredient, brown sugar. also, crème brûlée has that hardened brown sugar crust, so i can see why they wrote that - not only due to the brown sugar, but there’s a pudding/custard component to the nose. i can’t however (maybe due to my particular bottle—but doubtedly) see any grapes on the nose, or any fruit or jamminess as the expert notes allude to. so it’s not what i expected of this bottle. the bit of wine & sherry influence imparts characteristics that bestow a different role here, comparatively. also, sure, this “bourbon” is a *bit sweet, but only compared to bourbons/whiskeys that aren’t. in the sweet-whiskey sphere, it’s maybe not what you’re expecting, esp given its casks. it is blended nicely. however it took getting down half the bottle to appreciate this whiskey. i used a gift card for this one & had gone in prepared to buy a four roses SiB BO/EO/EV, so that likely skewed my take on this one initially. i expected more influence from the wine. i expected more elements, but came to like this one for what it is. what it isn’t, is a super wine influenced whiskey (which i like), or a sherry bomb - not in the least. it’s kind of a brown sugar bomb…but not in a bad way. complex baking spices are there along w/ a little vanilla. when drinking, the spice sticks to the throat a bit, & not in a bad way at all. it isn’t very spicy-spicy, y’kno? has a nice touch of it, just not like a rye spice. on the finish, you get slight woodiness (no smoke) & some oak. you could prob trick someone into thinking this is a malty whiskey. but it is it’s own thing, & i’ve come to like it. i feel like ppl write this bottle off before giving it a chance. it has it’s place in your cabinet/tasting collection/shelf, for sure. pour this brown juice for bourbon loving friends & don’t tell ‘em it’s a finished whiskey.