A sherry monster to be sure, but very well balanced -- good, not-too-sweet sherry.  The whole experience is one of deep, rich, dried fruit flavors, oak aspects, and a concentrated-beer-flavor that I really love.  Delicious.

After several re-tastes at much later dates, I've decided that this epitomizes a "purple" whisky. And dear God, the nose is amazingly pungent on it's own, and given the age it's rather astonishing. A

Re-retaste: N - super purple, grape candies, grape medicine, grapey grapes.  then cherries, berries of all sorts.  really a delightful nose. P - cask-strength fruitcake, raisins, something like madeira for a moment, this is all over the place.  abv intrudes somewhat.  water tames the flames but replaces the moderate sweetness with a little too much tannins/bitter. F - ooh, berries really emerge here and a sweet tang comes after a moment.  Overall the best nose ever, but the heat intrudes and takes over too much -- and taming it with water hurts the whisky -- and I just don't find myself loving it enough for a pure A. But I do love it almost enough.  A-

N: Very syrupy, honeyed sweetness.  Loads of ripe fruits, mostly black grapes and berries. 

P: Dark fruit jams (raisins, prunes, berries) 

F: Tea and mints

This is  a sweet and lively!