Color: Dark gold. The marketing write-up on the label implies that it is a natural color, but it isn’t stated as such, so my guess is that there is some caramel coloring added. No statement on chill/non-chill filtering.

Pour: Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 20 minutes. Later added 2 drops of purified water.

Nose: Oranges, peaches, strawberries, and recently sharpened pencils. After I added water, I noticed more of an emphasis on earthy notes and a the scent of a library full of old, leather books.

Palate: Creamy, slightly oily/waxy with an immediate sherry and vanilla hit. Orange, lemon, tart pear & apple, strawberry, vanilla, honey, and oak. Faint smoke, as if someone had a peat fire in a home near the distillery while this was being distilled. 2 drops of water bring out more leathery, peppery, and tobacco undertones.

Finish: Warm, lingering back-of-the-throat oak and leather. Slightly spicy! This was definitely aged in ex-bourbon casks. Interestingly, 2 drops of water reveal just a hint of over-steeped black tea bitterness. Tobacco, and a bit of sea air.