Alcohol burn hits first with the char and coal hints, this has a burst of nose burning heat and medicine right up front that is entirely uncharacteristic of a rye. The spicy notes do present as it rolls back into the throat but the earthy tones of chocolate red forest fruit and orange bitter are always foremost with this very interesting dram. This is certainly worth a try for those who find ryes too often to be uninteresting and similar beyond a point of being a lot of green bottle clones of near identical rye spice taste. The bitterness could easily be a plus for scotch enthusiasts and the odd sweetness a nice treat for the bourbon lovers as well. Not unlike the Jack Daniels rye that adds some sweetness to the profile often lacking in more standard ryes. I find it a bit course for my taste but I can easily see a lot of drinkers taking to this somewhat unusual offering from Old Forester that just might grow on you over time.