Got some gruyere at the store. Never had it. I love cheese. Opened it up and got punched by a strong funk. Was excited for strong flavor. Tried it and it was nothing like the smell. It’s mild. Good, but not at all what I expected based on the smell. It’s somewhere between parmesan and mozzarella. I like it but the difference between opening package and tasting was weird.
It should have tasted sharper than that. You might have ended up with a mild one.
Either that, or your taste in cheese is VERY sharp!
Edit: this is just from my own limited experience, but I find that the cave-aged stuff is much sharper and more flavorful.