Nose: Raisins, apricots, peach, beeswax, honey, tropical fruit. Over time brown sugar, red fruits and vanilla appear and there is a strong resinous wood aroma. The dry-glass smells entirely of these resinous oak notes. Palate: Fruity and spicy entry - like freshly-baked fruit cookies. Dried fruits, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and honey appear in the development and alcohol is not noticeable. The texture is oily, almost greasy, and the profile is overall similar to a cross between very dry sherry and slivovitz. Finish: Medium/long. Dry and packed with spicy fruit notes. The aftertaste is complex and oily. I have no idea what the 1885 refers to, but it isn't the age. This was matured in French and Slovenian oak barrels but that's about all I could find out about it. It's not particularly old, I'd think, but the wood notes are very prominent and it tastes different to non-aged grappa. I wouldn't buy it again. UPDATE - 18 February 2020 I killed this bottle off last night after persevering with it for several months and I'm revising my original rating. When newly opened it had a resinous oak bouquet that was impressive, but over time it has became unpleasant and more like the smell of cod-liver oil. I assume this was all coming from the un-toasted east-European oak casks. Two other bottles of grappa I currently have open do not show this intrusive fish-oil smell. "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars) Original rating "Above Average" : 83/100 (3 stars)