I bought a bottle of this and was eager to try it but faced some disappointment when the cork broke off upon opening, and couldn’t be removed without losing it in the bottle. Oh well. Occasionally that happens. With just a nub of cork left on the underside of the lid, I knew that this bottle would have to be consumed quickly to ensure it is gone before too much air exposure oxidizes the flavor. I’d better do some sharing. I’ve tasted this a couple of times in an attempt to work out the aromas and flavors. Upon removal of the nub cork, I notice the pent-up aroma from the bottle is a lot like olive brine, or perhaps a tapenade made from manzanilla and oil-cured Greek olives. There’s also a bit of smoke in the bottle, making think: hmm. Olive tapenade, smoked gouda – we have some classy canapé action going on here. In the glass, the nose opens to reveal some sliced fresh fruits, light peat smoke, and maybe a bit of orange pekoe, along with some difficult to pin down vegetal notes. Maybe the faintest hint of spice, likely from the bourbon casks. The palate is slightly sweet and slightly smoky, with a bit of cucumber sneaking in. Exhaling through my nose, I pick up a hint of ham and some more cucumber and a soupçon of spice. The finish isn’t quite as lengthy as I expected from the expert review, but isn’t too short, either. It’s a bit peppery, and has some lingering smoke. So, with the canapés on the nose (in the bottle), and the ensuing fruit, tea, vegetables, ham, and spices, we pretty much have dinner covered, except for dessert, which I didn’t quite find in there anywhere. This is more savory than sweet and at its modest price could easily be a nightly sipper for me if I had time for such a thing. There are simply too many spirits to try to be committed to a particular one. When this bottle is gone, I’ll move on to something else. I think this is certainly worth a mid-to-upper 80’s score, so I give it a good solid 4+ stars.