I'm of the opinion that rum should be created (very much like whiskey) with the goal of being something great to sip on neat or in an old fashioned. As a whiskey fan there are many rums that accomplish this. This rum is not one of them. As I toured the distillery while in New Orleans the tour guide drove home repeatedly that this rum was crafted with the intent of being a mixer. And to be fair, it's pretty good at that! Yet, again, in my personal opinion any aged liquor should be made with the intent of it being great neat or on the rocks. If your start with a great product your cocktails will be that much better.