N: Caramel, vanilla cream, and a vague and generic fruitiness - peach? pear? apple? all of the above? none of the above? - hard to say, but not unpleasant per se. Occasionally (very rarely) that fruit hits like the distinctive character notes of the aged Dewar's blends, but that feels like too strong of a compliment here. Finally, there's the feeling of ethanol without the scent. Neat trick that. P: Sweet and generally just palatable. Not a lot of strong identifiable flavors. Some caramel and vanilla, of course. Finish is interesting: starts with a noticeably woody, tannic bitterness that sticks around a bit before giving way to cinnamon spice. The bitterness is almost too much and I think is a huge player in defining the character of this dram, but also feels like something nearly unpalatable (almost contrary to what I said above). It's an interesting choice. It basically functions as a beauty mark: something that is not generally objectively desirable, but when placed in a certain context, it creates a uniqueness that elevates the subjective desirability of the entire package. To do that on the mass production scale that Jameson is on is kind of a breathless thing to behold. It could so easily not exist, and yet it does, and so much of it too. I have a long history with Jameson. It may well be the first whiskey I ever had, and it is certainly the first I ever enjoyed/appreciated/abused/etc. From endless shots of "Jay-mo" during Chicago happy hours, to picklebacks in L.A. (why? I don't know), to asking for scotch in the lamest college dive in Ithaca, NY and being asked in response if I had ever tried Jameson... And I think this is the first time I've ever really sat and thought about it (which is why I bought this bottle - to do that for the first time). It's easier to drink than I remember, but then I've sworn off it enough times and returned to wincing swallows of Jameson shots anyway that there may be trauma in my brain related to how "easy" I think this is to drink. But it's also more complicated than I expected/remembered. On a numerical scale, it's not a zero in complication. Really, I think it's one damn well thrown curveball in a series of fastballs, and that's just enough to make Jameson the household name it is today.