Bacardi 8 is not a *bad* rum--its taste profile, in fact, reminds me a bit of the El Dorado line-up, and I'm generally a fan of the El Dorado rums. The problem with Bacardi 8, however, is that the taste profile, such as it is, is both filtered to hell and accompanied by some weird off-notes that really hurt (particularly given that it's basically the same price as or more expensive than a number of superior rums). Nose is tobacco, molasses, some citrus zest, wood-smoke, vanilla, butterscotch. Definite apple, and maybe a bit of leather--but the proceedings are always couched in a weird bit of "fuzzy marker/paint thinner/fume-y" character that rubs out some of the interesting dimensions and, truth be told, gives me a bit of a headache. The taste is sharp and thin and sweet, as though some dimensions have been stripped away by over-filtering. There's an immediate sharp bitterness, then butterscotch, green apple, a bit of chocolate, leather, citrus, vanilla, and more of that fuzzy "off-ness". Short, sharp finish--hot, fume-y slightly sour. Not terrible--it does fine in cocktails and works as a sipper in a pinch. But there are just some aspects really holding it back.