The nose is a surprisingly boozy burn at only 40%. There is bitter cherry, tawny port barrel. A little banana. There is an almost chemical lacquered wood, that for a moment manifests as pool chlorine. The deeper the inhale, the more barrel char that comes through; the alcohol is not camouflaged. Taste is less tawny port and more sherry/cherry liqueur. Bitter/puckery barrel tannins. It's a little saccharine and had a sweet, syrupy taste and texture. There isn't really any dry balance, but it's not this Scotch's responsibility to be balance. Stewed apples. The finish is a thick, syrupy cherry-juice sweetness. Strawberry jam. A mild prickly candi-sugar spiciness. This is going to be a hit for people who are iffy on Scotch but who are into Brandy or Cognac. At $25 it's a good value.