Perhaps it’s because I’ve been on a bit of an Irish whiskey kick lately but the first thing I thought of when I tasted this was that it tasted like an Irish. Maybe it’s the pale straw color or the heavy cereal and vanilla nose and taste profile. Then the sherry shows up...definitely not an Irish. But it’s a bit muted telling you it’s not a speyside sherry bomb either. Then some heat comes along for the ride through the relatively short finish. I’d say in the end it’s unique enough. Not sure I’d buy another bottle but I’ll enjoy the one I just opened. And I’ll definitely move up the range with interest as this is said by many to be one of the weaker expressions from this distillery. Update: upon re-tasting the balvenie single barrel I think I may have found my comp for this. On balance I prefer the balvenie but similar sour elements are present and both turn very sweet with a bit of water.