I had a gift sample of this given to me by my local store owner, he told me it wasn't considered all that good. I beg to differ. The nose is not at all subtle, the cab cask influence is immediately apparent, both a grape jam and spicy cinnamon rum share the room with a healthy alcohol burn. On the front end the red wine factor comes through and indeed a bit of that grape jam flavor exists in the body. The dark fruit sweetness is on the heavy side of the bold and audacious sugary blend that remain emphasized throughout the finish. While the hints of spices and cinnamons are largely overshadowed by the fruit, they can be found tailing away with the other warm sweet juice flavors. Amazingly smooth for the proof factor the finish doesn't fail to deliver. I'm left thinking the Master Blenders at Barrell put some real work into getting this right, as the Dovetail provides the kind of powerful flavor normally reserved for the full proof and barrel strength offerings. While I certainly wouldn't want all or most of my bourbon whiskies finished in such casks, for the occasional off the pace treat this one really works out well. Barrell gets the job done again! Cheers!