To preface, this is my 4th Scotch. I'm getting mostly a sweet smoke on the nose, with the occasional tail of spice or vanilla. When tasted i'm first hit with a kind of spicy smoke, almost the same feeling and taste I get when i put fresh peppers in a hot pan. It then develops into a honey flavour and texture and leaves a nice sweet flavour in my mouth. Overall, there was a really nice balance and flavour, but nothing that changed my life. It seems like this was maybe $20 too expensive when compared to the other whiskies i've had.