OK here we go. My buddy Mike recently reviewed this bottle and he liked it a good bit more than when I first opened it. Well, lets see how this does now that is has been open a solid 8-9 months. Nose - Menthol, salt, brine, tiny tiny touch of citrus, vanilla, and there is a bit of a bready character at the end. I keep looking for more oak but nothing here. Taste - Lemon lime, vanilla, and menthol / smoke. Chocolate, tobacco and as it finishes a bit of meat and roasted nuts. Water adds a bit of a metallic note but it also brings out a bit of a bitter note at the end and actually adds more "ummf" to the mid pallet. Finish - when I have to talk about finish, you know I'm getting into a great whisky. This thing just keep finishing, it lasts forever with the smoke and a bit of a bite just holding on to you. It's absolutely the best part of the whisky. It is NOT worth 500 dollars, no way in the world is it worth that, but this is special whisky. I'll miss it once it is gone, but it's a bit soft and lacks the mouth feel and the power that cask strength could have done to it. With that, this would be a 5 star whisky but without it, I'm wanting more and I really shouldn't want more on a 500 dollar whisky.