Sweet Vanilla, Rich and Spicy: Smells sweet and tastes sweet too. The flavor is dark and rich. Up front I get barrel spices and vanilla. There are very sweet undertones of sweetness. Afterwards I get an alcohol (maybe not ethanol) aftertaste. This rum is complex and tasty. You can tell that its rum, but it has even more going on too (reminds me of wine and whiskey). It's relatively inexpensive as far as spirits go, so there is little risk to getting it. If you get it, I bet you'll like it.