After recently reviewing pours from the 12/15/18 year bottles I got for Xmas, this was a budget buy that I thought would be at the very least interesting. I’ve started to get used to the different sherry and wine finishes but not even sure I’ve had a rum finish. The nose is soft and sweet, with butterscotch and vanilla leading the way. Those aromas don’t put up much of a fight though, they quickly fold into cereal and ethanol. Still enjoyable, but you can tell you paid 33 CAD for the bottle. The palate is more interesting than the nose, if just slightly. It leads with a bit of a syrupy sweetness, not like honey or fruit or maple.. just sugary. It then transitions to classic blended scotch territory, giving you malted grain, earthy umami notes and ending with some faint baking spices. The finish might be the most unexpected of all, it actually builds from the somewhat flat palate. Dry notes from the wood initially, but then an unexpected shot of sweetness which actually does make a nice finish. Is it great? No, but it’s cheaper then JW Red here, and only 5 dollars more then White Label which I despise. For a budget blended scotch, this is sweet and easy and all I wish is that is had some smoke.