On the plus side, it *is* at least better than the standard Beam (which has always reminded me of corn and peanuts soaked in grain alcohol). But I don't want to oversell it, either. It's . . . not great. Nose is heavily mineral and heavy on the paint thinner fumes. A hint of citrus, some slight vanilla and oaky sweetness. Taste is actually nicely oily if still a bit thin (thanks no-chill-filtering), with vanilla, citrus, and some light, sweet wood char and peanuts. A bit hot with a faint touch of nail polish remover--but then the finish is there (nuts, fumes, burnt lemon)-and-gone, so it's (almost) hardly a weakness. Better than standard Beam White Label? One hundred per cent! Worth the investment in a world where Beam Rye, Beam Distiller's Cut, and Beam Bottled-in-Bond are all within $5-10 in price? Not a chance. (And that's saying nothing of Evan Williams Black Label, which is pretty much the platonic cheap bourbon and available for $5 *less* locally.)