Nose: peat and smoke dominate. I get a strange almost green bean smell often found in soul food. You know the ones cooked in bacon fat? Delicious, rich and full nose. Taste: very oily with a nicely rounded peatyness and sweet pipe tobacco taste. Leads immediately into a salted caramel creme (almost like those little caramel cream candies with the little white center). After that I don’t get much but that’s not a bad thing. The whiskey is so oily that flavor lasts a good 30-40 seconds after you swallow. WHATCH YOUR BREATH IF YOU’RE TRYING TO TALK UP A LADY OR GENTLEMEN!! Close quarters could be off putting to, let’s be honest, most people out there. All things said I was very impressed by this. The 16 year has always been one of my favorites. But at $100 a pop in my state, I often pass it by. The 9 is a great alternative running around $30 cheaper.