My initial impression of this wasn't very positive. It certainly wasn't bad, but I wasn't getting the "Christmas cake" notes I've seen attributed to it in most reviews. There was something off about it that wasn't sitting right with me. After working through a third of the bottle that started to change. The strange, vaguely off-putting note I encountered right away has receded, replaced by appetizing shortbread, cereal and all-spice or cinnamon notes. The unidentifiable note was still there, but at a comfortable distance. A whisky friend described it as "carob". Certainly possible. The dram is improving as I work through the bottle, fast becoming a favorite. This is my first Glenfarclas, so I'm not sure if the "carob" notes I found unpalatable right after opening are typical or not. Given the high cost of importing this to the US, I'm not sure I'd buy it again until I've sampled some of the standard bottlings available locally - the 12, 17 or 25 perhaps.