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.
My experience in the UK was the gruyère was a bit bland as a cheese. But since moving to France that’s changed completely. Gruyère can be of widly different qualities and aged for different times for very different end flavours. The opposite is true of cheddar, which in Britain is a big spectrum of flavours and textures, but often in France is a pretty bland ‘burger cheese slice’ affair.