before opening, looks really light. has a strong ethanol aroma. little spicy. not picking up on much complexity honestly, still getting quite a bit of ethanol/alcohol smells and tastes. kinda sweet. kinda bitter like i'd expect nutshells or rancid oil from a nut would taste like haha. after letting it air and chill for a second ethanoly smell and taste turns a bit more on the maple syrup side. however, something is not totally appetizing about this whiskey - not totally bad either. i'd drink it if someone offered