Tasting neat. Nose is sweet, bright, ethanol sharp, raw agave, fruitiness, touch of oak, pepper, and vanilla. Any college student would recognize this as tequila..but its much more refined. Taste is crisp with raw agave, fruit, and is powdered sugar sweet. Also a little herbal mint, black pepper, with very slight vanilla and some cocoa toward the end. Finish is long lasting saccharine with a little hot cinnamon, and oak tannin.. The overall mouthfeel is moderately thin This one confuses me. I've gone through a 1/3 of a bottle trying to figure it out. I love the blanco and its bright fruity crisp summer goodness. Those flavors are still there, but the barrel distracts from those delicate flavors and don't really add much. I also realize that I'm trying to compare a < $20 tequila with those priced twice as much. Sippable, but I'd consider this all the mixing tequila you'd ever need. If you us a bottle of margarita mix, stick with JC Gold, if you want to up your game.. use this along with some real ingredients. Extra nod to value and lack of additives