Nose - toasted banana, milk chocolate, Nilla Wafer, subtle smoke, pineapple, molasses, black pepper, nutmeg, honey, lemon, hay, sunscreen, salted caramel, vanilla cream, baked apple, cinnamon, cookie dough, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - honey, almond, bananas foster, brown sugar, salted caramel, molasses, vanilla ice cream, chili pepper, pineapple, bitter herbal notes, burnt toast, sour apple, charred orange, lemon oil, rubber, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with burnt caramel, baking spice, and bitter herbal flavors. Coming off the heels of the standard 15 Year, I didn’t have very high hopes for this one. It’s a year younger, but at least it’s cask strength and adds an interesting rum element. So the rum is definitely present on the nose. Actually, I think it was a good choice in a finish, highlighting and transforming the subtle banana note on the classic into a sweeter, baked banana dessert quality. Molasses, honey, and sweet and salty caramel shine through as well. The palate is similarly sweeter and more dessert-like than the original, although many of the same flavors are here. Sour apple, citrus, bitter herbal notes, and a bready quality, although it manifests as burnt cookie here instead of a generalized yeastiness. It’s not an amazing palate, but great in its own right. Maybe it’s the higher proof, maybe it’s the rum finish, but this is absolutely better than the 15 Year. However in my opinion, it suffers from some of the same issues. It’s a bit too sour and bitterly herbal, although I’m more willing to excuse the flaws here than on its counterpart. A big thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for this special sample. I’m looking forward to the 2020 Port finish version I’ll be reviewing tomorrow.