You have to admire the beauty of this bottle. Even without the palm tree wrapping, it captures a bit of naval history—the very thing that got me into rum in the first place. On the nose, there are notes of caramel and citrus. It has a heavy mouthfeel and a pronounced alcohol burn (after all, it is 111 proof). I can’t say the burn softened much with subsequent sips, but as it became less surprising, the sweetness started to come forward more. The bourbon barrel aging is evident, lending a leathery, tobacco character with a bit of vanilla—distinctive, in a good way.