On the nose it was acidic and harsh: Citrus and pepper. The taste on the other hand was nothing I was expecting. While the smell was sharp, the taste was vanilla cake. That is the best I could chalk it up to the moment it touched my tongue. I even went back to smell it, and it's two different experiences. If you smell red wine you expect the taste of red wine, but if you smell Hammerhead 23 you will get a completely different flavor. Also, it's an amazing price for the age. The trouble is finding it outside of the Czech Republic. Gold Cock 92 has the exact same back story as Hammerhead, and that unicorn tastes 100X better.