Uncorking - neat -Baked apples and bananas with walnuts follow a lot of proof on the nose. This doesn't hide it's proof like Stagg Jr does for me. Sweet apples, almost oaty or light caramel with nuts and ripe bartlet pears. Does a lot of spice and heat. A few drops of water takes all the burn off the nose and mellows the bite a ton. Now I really get golden fruits, soft caramels and some wood I didn't have before. One of the few glasses I really preferred it with water. Once ice cube brought more mellowing but a tart cherry like a cherry pit. Easy to drink on the rocks.