This is another of the first bottles of scotch I ever tried, and I figured I should review it while I was thinking about it. Nose: barley, caramel, touch of orange, vanilla, blooming flowers Palate: oak, burnt toffee, vanilla, thin mouthfeel, black pepper Finish: short, bitter, and hot with more burnt toffee Overall: This is a very dark and bitter whisky. The nose is wonderfully complex and light, but the palate and finish just put it in a headlock and won’t let it move. I think the French oak really creates a one note song in this expression, and that note is bitterness! I find small amounts of bitterness pleasant in spirits, usually because it’s balancing the sweetness. However, in this there is no sweetness to balance. I have also sampled a few bourbons aged in French oak and the results were very similar for me. I think in the future, I’ll be leaving my French oak to aging wine where it belongs. Score: 60/100