Very strong and pungent. One dropper in an 8oz glass of water is like drinking liquid altoids which just about knocks me over. I am not a peppermint fan, and I gag this wildly strong stuff down with my nose pinched. So why the 5 stars? I bought and tried this out of pure desperation as someone who suffers from Sphincter of Oddi Disfunction (SOD). After reading several web forums where peppermint spirits seemed to help others with SOD attacks where digestive enzymes back up into the pancreas causing excruciating chests crushing, biliary/RUQ, and piercing Back pain, I had Whole Foods deliver this (and digestive enzymes) to my door ASAP. I was skeptical especially since the emergency room could not even stop these attacks with multiple narcotics (morphine triggers these episodes it turns out). However, if I can get down a full dropper of this stuff in a cup of water as soon as an episode starts coming on I can stop the attack before it has me clutching my chest and screaming in the fetal position on the floor for 30-45 minutes. It does not always save me from severe pain if I can't get to it immediately, but it will drastically reduce the length of time the attacks last once I get to it. I keep a bottle of this in my bedroom for night attacks and one in my car with a bottled water for on the go rescue doses. If you like the intense flavor it would be great to take this 3x a day to help prevent SOD attacks completely, but if you're like me and can't do that, try 365 brand digestive enzymes with ox bile (one tablet before each meal) and keep the peppermint spirits handy for breakthrough episodes. It has truly helped me get back some quality of life that SOD has robbed me of