The nose has a definite red wine element to it. It smells kind of sweet and mild with some strawberry notes mixed with malted barley and a little wood. It's a nice refreshing summer dessert nose without being too astringent. The palate is very fruity with the strawberry making a huge statement alongside some balanced cherry and raspberry. It's sweet, but not excessively so. This refreshing, fruity flavor seems like a great way to disguise a young whiskey. It's fun and quite sweet without being oppressively alcoholic. It lacks all of the finesse of the Macallan 15, but it avoids being as jarring as the Macallan 12. It's a bit too much on the sweet side, but it's still pretty tasty. This is fun to drink and the finish is nice and clean too. There are certainly some nutty elements, including marzipan with all of the sweetness. Vanilla cannot be avoided and while it might make the whole thing too sweet, it does help to bring the whole experience together with its floral flavor. There is a lot of subtle complexity here with bitter undertones not coming out excessively and their specific elements coming out appropriately to give suggestions of wood and anise (port). The sweetness is a bit syrupy, but it's still enjoyable. This reminds me a bit of Kavalan Concertmaster. Sure it's super sweet, but it's also balanced and tasty. This is a very unique take on whiskey. Really, it is more of a cocktail with whiskey blended with a liqueur. It certainly does have that jammy surah taste and I appreciate that about it. It's not for everyone, but there is a lot going on here an it is tasty. A bit less sweetness might benefit it, but it's very good. It's probabaly a tad better than Johnnie Walker Gold, with a bit more of Johnnie Walker 18 in its bloodstream. The nose is fruity to the point that it smells like a dash of strawberry gummies was tossed in. It reminds me a bit of Grangestone Sherry in how it smells, though the quality here smells more malty and better executed. There are orange notes on the nose as well with some lightish caramel balancing them. On the palate it's sweet, but also lightly flavored and backed by some smoky malt. The sweet strawberry with a hint of cherry really works and the flavor is lively, but it's also kind of watery. I appreciate the malt flavor from the barley, but it's not terribly strong. This whole thing tastes sippable and is a huge improvement on Grangestone Sherry in that it eliminates a lot of the bad notes, but it's not extremely complex and tastes on the young side. It's not bad, but it could use some work. I enjoy the complexity of Baker's more, even though it has some jagged notes. There's plenty of vanilla and a dose of spice that are nice with the red fruit (despite the gummy candy impression), but at best this is on the watery side of hedonism. There's the faintest hint of almond hidden in the grain and maybe a little touch of honey, but it doesn't go much farther than that. Actually, you know what, it might be a little bit better than Baker's off-notes. It does taste a bit more on the level of Johnnie Walker Gold. Its increased finesse does help a lot, making this a pretty solid choice. Still, maybe it's a little better than Baker's (there were on the same shelf, so I'm comparing them), but it isn't a ton better.