I have to thank my friend Mark again for getting such a crazy sample to me. Since this, again, is the only time I’ll ever get VW 12 in my life, I had to review it. Look: Burnt orange, not really any light on the edges even when put up to the light. Alcohol legs make there presence known but slowly dissipate. Nose: Before getting up close and personal, I can smell a whiff of banana. Getting even closer, I still get that banana, but this time with oak and spices. If I try hard enough, I get what I think is apple. Swirling unleashes more oak. Palate: Not what I was expecting at all, sweet, brown sugar vanilla, almost like a coffee drink. Cuties or tangerines or whatever you’d like to call that small orange ball of a fruit is there too. Sure, there’s oaky edges to the coffee drink, and some spices, but this is much sweeter than expected. Very good, I definitely prefer this over the 20 year. Finish: Slightly bitter from the oak, lasting a minute or so, and a slight burn further down in the throat. As the finish lingers, any signs of sweetness go away and I just get the oak. Overall: Whereas I was a little disappointed in Pappy 20, 12 is great. The sweetness and, dare I say, smoothness, of 12 is really a bit shocking to me considering the age statement. If you know what Pappy is and manage to see it in a store for, I don’t think you need any recommending, you’ll already know.