I bought this primarily to make cocktails from a cocktail book I got which suggested it. I hadn't heard of Compass Box before that point. I only drank a couple cocktails with it and stored it away. Since it's been a few years I figured I would go back and try it neat. It's a very light blend, soft on the nose with cereal and grain. The palate shows some sweetness, oak, dried fruit and the cereal from the nose. The finish still brings the sweetness and there is little to no burn. Compass Box is known as one of the best scotch blending companies out there and John Glaser may be the best blender out there (or whiskeymaker as the bottle says). I can't say this is outstanding or holds up to the releases after, but it accomplishes what it set out to do. It's a great blend for mixing cocktails, just not as exciting neat. I leaned toward a 4, but it doesnt offer enough to get it there, so call it a solid 3.75.