Nose: Very strong with alcohol. Burnt orange and sugar with lots of vanilla. Taste: Oak, vanilla, apples, sugar and baking spices. Finish: Long and spicy A bit of water did not do much. Maybe a bit sweeter than without. I left this out to air a bit to see if the ethenol might reduce...it didn't? This is much better than I remember. I would not be mad to drink this at all. Different flavors than I usually go for. A nice change of pace. Solid 3.5