Soft. That's my one word effort at describing this whisky. There are no "gotcha" strong flavors that hit you. Smoke is almost not there, a touch of saltiness, a smattering of caramel. It left me wanting a little bit more out of it. This Scotch would be a gentle intro into the marvelous world of Islay whiskies as opposed to the pronounced smokiness of, say, Lagavulin.