Fruity, a little peppery spice and sweets. Just as delicious as the Glenmorengies I recently tasted, the Quinta Ruban and the Lasanta, but a tiny bit less sweet and drier. The sweetness seems better integrated, not that sugary. Little bit salty as well. Definitely more oak. Love this one. That said, I am afraid that every single 12 year old sherry or port casked whiskey I buy will taste wonderfull, with differences way less obvious than most reviewers ever going to admit. This Irish whiskey could easily be a Scotch and in a blind tasting I would have a moderately hard time distinguish this one with say, Glenmorangie's Lasanta. But for now this Redbreast appears to be my favorite. But I could easily live with any of them. (So why not stick with one type bottle?)