I seldom feel the need to quibble with the official Distiller reviews in my own tasting notes, but this time, it's necessary as a score of 78 here (which I would reserve for something really unimpressive) is a gross injustice. Why such strong words? Because this is a damn fine brandy that I would hope anyone interested in exploring the world of spirits would try when given a chance. The biggest complaints lifted up in the official review here seem to be a weak nose and a hot, unbalanced palate. Pish posh on both counts. The nose is clear and bright - orange (zest and juice, and of a variety of sorts...think of it like a citrus salad), pineapple, ricotta cookies, thyme, brown sugar, book leather. The palate is anything but overly hot and imbalanced - it's a bit like a frosted orange cookie with almond slivers, sweet, nutty, and citrusy, with a bit of pleasant warmth to be found. In conclusion, while I'm willing to grant a certain amount of "different strokes for different folks" range, and acknowledge that I'm a fairly high grader (remind to tell you the one about the Irish figure skating judge...), this feels like I'm drinking an entirely different brandy than the one reviewed. And...who knows? Maybe there are inconsistencies between bottlings; stranger things have happened than that. But, what I have in my glass right now is NOT a C grade brandy, but instead is a real pleasure to drink.