Rating: 12/23 It's been so long since I bought this sample that I remember nothing about this rum. Is it cheap or expensive? Go figure. The one thing I'm guessing is that it will be sweet, seeing as it's from Venezuela. N: I smelled this in the bottle and didn't get much, but wow how the glass changes things! It's spicy and fruity with some mellow musty wood. More than cinnamon, the spices are on the dry, dusty, woody side. There's lots of sweetness, but a dryness from the wood that really balances it out. Maybe it's because I just had a fairly poor rum (Mount Gay Eclipse), but this is a very enjoyable nose. I get a bit of alcohol mixed with some bubblegum, oddly enough. I am starting to get more of the alcohol here. Some vanilla does come out at some point. P: Decently full with a moderate viscosity. Surprisingly, what hits me first is spiciness with some oil. I spend a while contemplating the not-sweet spices and their faint numbingness and prickliness, then move onto the oil and start noticing a bit of a charred flavor. Surprisingly little though. And the sweetness? Really not much there. I do get some nice vanilla though. Maybe a bit of unsweetened coconut too (perhaps that's the source of the oiliness?). There's really not a ton complexity here (though there is a bit) and the balance is a tad wonky. I certainly hope that this is not an expensive rum. F: Slightly green (but not herbal or aggressive) wood with faint cloves, some vanilla. Not a very impressive finish, but at least it's there. - Conclusion - I could make a cocktail with this. It's a bit surprising, but it fits the rum profile well enough. In terms of rating, I'm looking at an 11 to 12, with a 10 being a faint possibility. Plantation Xaymaca and Appleton Estate 12 are definitely superior. I thought about a 12, then I was going with 11, but then I landed on 12. This is a totally serviceable rum with a nice richness and fullness, but the complexity and grabbing flavors really aren't there. Wow, 4-35 years and people love this? Really? This seems muddled. I do get some maturity from it, but not a ton and I definitely prefer Appleton Estate 12 side by side. I had no idea going in what the world thought of this and I'm really shocked by the outcome. I might have to try it again at some point, but I'm probably not going to be buying a bottle. It turns out that this costs just as much (almost) as Appleton Estate 12 and I would take the Appleton Estate any day.