Coming from the 12 year, I taste very similar flavors in this 15 year. The chief difference I can detect is an amplification of flavor and an increase in backend burn. So there's a harder hit of caramel, a harder citrus flavor to follow, and a harder burn. I understand the tradeoff from a distilling perspective, and I'm glad I tried it once. However, from now on it's the 12-year I'll keep in my collection.