Strong floral notes followed by almonds and macademia. Is this even a scotch? It toys with being a bourbon. There are wood and vanilla present for sure, along with clear caramel and hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Smoke and peat are essentially not there. The flavor is rich and robust with wood and nuts, though it does not develop as much as I would have liked. Distiller says there are supposed to be strong fruit notes, but I get little in that area. The flavor is very sweet and it has no flaws. I wish there were a bit more variation from start to finish and that the finish were longer, but it is darned good. I just don't understand it. In a weird comparison, this is definitely better than the Balvenie Caribbean Cask. It's rich with notable fruit and vanilla mixed with some spices (red apples and nutmeg are notable). It's good, but side-by-side the Glenfarclas 25 is definitely better. It also lacks the interest of the Spice Tree, so I can't really recommend this. It may be creamy and fairly sweet, but it's not amazing. Maybe there's a little coconut in the finish, but it doesn't make up for the strong alcohol in the beginning that is mixed with rather subdued flavors. The Glenfarclas 25 is creamier, smoother, and generally more enjoyable. The nose is kind of meaty with one cheese that has been left out too long. The palate has a surprising rye character to it with cinnamon, some maple, and vanilla. It's quite bourbony. There is a bit of that old cheese flavor in here too. There is a nice brown sugar, but the whole thing lacks complexity. The whole thing is muddled. There is even a hint of bananas that gives it a kind of rummy element. It just doesn't come together and there isn't anything about it that is especially good. It's extremely creamy and has just the right amount of spiciness, but it isn't vibrant and interesting. A little cereal is present, but it isn't much (I usually like a tad more than this, but this is a minor point). That rye tartness is disconcerting and tastes wholly out of place. Oh, it turns out that this is blended Grain, so that makes more sense. Cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar make up a lot of this, giving it a bit of an oatmeal cookie taste, especially with that rye tartness giving it a little fruitiness. I'd like less floral flavor in this since it is supposed to be rich and indulgent. The nose has some butterscotch, meat, and cinnamon. The palate is kind of mild with lots of mineral and floral notes mixed with saltiness. The cinnamon comes through, but the rye flavor is more than I would like. It's kind of spicy and has some notions of fresh fruit, but there isn't a great deal of complexity here. The butterscotch makes it in, but it is not as present as I'd like. There's a good amount of vanilla. It's kind of oily but it isn't terribly viscous. The apple does come out more, but so does the alcohol. It's a sipper but it's quite a mediocre one.