First off, my comparison might be a bit unfair. I usually drink Cointreau, which is not your uni Triple Sec.

Lyre's Orange Sec has a lovely, if subtle nose of mandarin orange when you first open the bottle. Typically, a triple sec has a bit of sugary viscosity. Unfortunately, Lyre's Orange Sec poured like water.

In the glass, the mandarin orange aroma remained, still subtle but pleasant on the nose. In the mouth, it was thin and watery. I would compare it to the left-over melted ice from a glass of orange fizzy.

It wasn't terrible, and in fact the flavour and aroma were quite promising, it was just thin and weak. On its own, possibly over ice, it would be drinkable. Mixed in a drink with other bold flavours (I made it in a margarita) it is completely lost. It might due to double the volume in a mixed drink, but at $45/bottle doubling the volume used brings you into the same price-point as an orange liqueur with alcohol and a bolder flavour profile so might not be worth it.

I bought this along with Lyre's Agave Blanco to make margaritas, and the result was amazing! Ricky & Donna also included some Lemon Fresh lime juice (thank you!), and I was so impressed by how well the margaritas turned out (I followed the recipe on the Lyre's website). As a stand-alone spirit it's nice, but in a cocktail it's a game changer - I highly recommend it.