I am immediately recognizing the aromas of New Hungarian Oak and corn whisky reminiscent of that Bearface whisky I’ve tried recently. — On the nose there is a deep, dark woodiness to this one, like a slightly damp forest floor, some pepper notes from the French Oak and a pleasant fruitiness of the well aged corn spirit itself. It smells amazing! Savory spices, oak wood shavings and cedar, new leather, oily wood furniture polish, maple sugar and some sweet, smoky wood, like starting a fire. - To the palate it is very gentle to start with a building flavour of complex spices and savory wood notes. Warming in the mid palate, some sweet fruity notes, maple syrup, vanilla, pepper, leather and then more oak with subtly sweet cigar tobacco flavour hinting towards cedar. - The finish is drying with rich wood flavours mingled with tingling wood spices. The French and Hungarian new oak barrels are really showing their presence here. — Think Cognac, made with corn instead of grapes, the European Oak has that much presence in this whisky. — With a small splash of water, I find the nose to be more sweet wood and fruity with a hint of roasting hazelnuts. To the palate it is more flat and integrated, but then the spices start collecting in the finish where the oak lingers long on the back of the tongue. More dry, more savory. —//— Grain Mark: 89