First nose of this is of a slight smoke but more peppery smell, kind of heavy on the nose. Just so you know everything I try I try "neat" first. At first it is not that hot on the tongue more so on the back of the mouth almost on the tonsils. It does stand out very quickly in your mouth at first but then goes away fairly quickly, It almost knows it's place in your mouth. It turns to a creamy caramel taste and feel in your mouth. As I drink more it does to feel more comfortable with every sip, almost comforting. It has a nice clean finish not too hot but for a vodka that is filtered as much as this a nice smooth clean finish, almost perfect. It should never mixed with soda or anything but drunk on it's own as it is. After putting it on ice and letting it sit for a few minutes waiting for the ice to start it became a little more complex. The strong nose went away for the most part and went to a more delicate passive flowering smell, with a little toffee in there. It actually mellowed out a bit more after having a little water/ice on it for a bit. It became a lot more smooth and almost creamy to the point of a great 18+yr scotch. This I will be buying again, it is very complex for a straight Vodka and it just feels right in your mouth. I love the changes it takes from being neat to ice to a splash of water., anyone that enjoys a good Scotch knows exactly what I mean.
I hope this helps the ones that are looking for a great sipping Vodka, this is really top notch in my book.
From what I experienced this is a great stand alone Vodka, well thought out and well crafted, a must for anyone's shelf. Plus the bottle looks cool. :thumbs:
