The nose is fairly nice, not powerful, but peat, fruit and honey. But unlike the 10, which I find has a great sweet offset to the peat, the sweetness virtually disappears for me on the palate. I'm left with a smoke that is strong ash and burnt rubber with a mild barbeque note and ethenol. Admittedly, that makes it sound worse that it is, but I'm glad I experienced this one in a two ounce sample as opposed to taking a chance with a bottle. Part of the problem is that I (like most people, I suspect) immediately compared it to the 10, and the 10 is a gem in my book. Granted, the Select runs about $10 less in my market, but paying an extra $10 is a no-brainer for me in this case.