The nose has a little bit of apricot mixed with a bit of mineral, smoke, and spice. There's also some pear and cereal like it exists on a wind-swept cliff by the coast. The palate is surprisingly mild and oily (without having an off, bitter flavor). It's disappointingly mild, but there are swirling complex notes of fruit and some other stuff that I'm having trouble placing. It tastes good enough, but it could use some more force. The complexity seems a bit better than that of Springbank 10, but the flavor is more subdued. It tastes more complex than Johnnie Walker 18 as well, but also less vibrant. Perhaps it's more balanced though? It lacks the off, oily tartness of Bushmill's 21, but also the rich fruitiness. The nose is balanced without being overly pungeant, with some nice malty character, some smoke, a bit of Earth, and a touch of citrus. It smells good, but not amazing. The palate has some malty butterscotch, vanilla, and citrus sweetness immediately, but it is backed by smoke with some tobacco bitterness and a grainy backing that's a tad chalky. The flavor is richer and more balanced than the Gold Label, but it isn't the massive improvement that it ought to be. It definitely has that scotch character, but the bitterness really pokes out and the complexity is not as substantial as it should be. It doesn't have the same drying character as Springbank 10, but its core flavor is also not as good. It's really disappointingly mild like a somewhat richer version of the Black Label that loses a lot of the bad flavors and tones back the peat a little bit, but also loses some of the sweetness. It doesn't have the nectar sweetness of the 18, though it also doesn't suffer from the 18's sharp notes. I'd love to say that it tastes better than the 18, but it isn't terribly exciting and its core flavor is a bit off. It reminds me of a Japanese whiskey in how it lacks character. It also has a lot of Irish whiskey floral character to it (though without that characteristic bitterness). It is also less complex and tasty than the Green Label. It's flavor is more finely executed in its floral sweetness than that of the Double Black is, but it's ultimately just way too understated. It's less rich than Nikka Whisky From The Barrel and also less interesting due to its decreased vibrancy (though it may not be less complex). The Nikka is better and this is kind of just a really disappointing drink for the price point.