There is supposed to be a vanilla start according to the bottle. I can barely smell it under the alcohol smell. The smell is so strong, it's almost a menthol smell. After a couple of sips, when my palette adjusted to it, I picked up the vanilla. The taste is chaotic, the rye and the wheat seem to be battling each other for dominance. It seems to me that the whiskey needs more time in the barrel to settle down and find its personality. Initially I catch the smoothness of the wheat, but the spicy rye finish is...interesting. I'm not really sure how I feel about it. It is a strong middle of the road bourbon, and not a bad result from a science experiment.