To be honest, my very first thought upon sipping was "this is what mould tastes like". It is earthy - to a fault. Sure, there is some sweetness and vanilla on the palate, but it just gets lost in dank, astringent, 'mouldy' bitterness. Don't let the mild nose fool you... All that being said, it did eventually grow on me. It started as a very disappointing one star, but now that I've finished the bottle, I'm comfortable raising the rating to a two. This may be the perfect whisky for someone who likes bitter, earthy, not-so-complex sipping. But I dont reckon I'd buy it again.