My initial taste hit my tongue much hotter than I had expected and thus took me a minute to get into this dram. After the initial hotness passed I picked up on vanilla, a healthy dash of pepper and some fruit (apples and a touch of orange) as the pepper wore off. This whiskey has the feel of a high quality bourbon - medium/heavy mouth feel and a long lingering aftertaste. However, the aftertaste is the part I didn't like. I heard it described by @TheNeonDram as either candy corn or plato. And yes, I can see both in the lingering aftertaste. More plato for me unfortunately. The good notes in the middle gave way far to quickly to the plato aftertaste and so even with this drink having the feel of a good bourbon, I really just wasn't wild about what I was left with. Not terrible, but not great. Especially for the price.