Of course I paid too much for this rum, but I was on holiday in Malmö, Sweden where stuff is expensive. The rum was harsh and bitter. I do not think the bottle was old, as only the top of the bottle had been emptied. The positive notes (literally) were the oak flavors and tones of spices that I could taste through the quality of the barrels. But there are definitely no hints of vanilla or honey. And the sugar cane that is used for this, is probably not much better than the cheaper Havana Club. It tastes quite bitter when it goes down. In short, this is a moderate quality rum with a unique flavor of oak barrels and cheap sugar cane. It does not taste bad, but neither is it refined.