This smells and tastes a bit like Glenfarclas mixed with Wild Turkey Master's Keep Reserve. It's very leathery with plenty of tannins and some sweet cherry that is under control. There's also some really nice rich chocolate and some caramel that is a bit too light but still nicely sweet. This is a really nice hedonistic drink. This has a big leathery smell like Joseph Magnus or Wild Turkey Master's Keep Revival. There's some smoke and fireworks on the nose too. Disappointingly, those flavors do blend together, but it still smells rich and mature. There's some of that Clynelish waxiness on the nose too. The nose indicates great promise. The palate is indeed rich with that characteristic Joseph Magnus and Glenfarclas 25 flavor, but also some additional sweetness from baking spices (nutmeg and cinnamon most notably, but some tannic clove as well). This is not what I expect from a rum, but I love it. The finish lingers with cocoa and leather, leaving a creaminess alongside the tannin that changes a bit as it goes on. It lasts for days and it's delicious. This is a tremendous find. The balance of sweetness, richness, tannin, and so on is splendid for a rum. Especially at 46%, this is a huge bargain! The complexity is tremendous and it is interesting and rich with flavors that just blow me away. I'm bumping this right up from 18 to 22. Maybe it will drop down to a 20, but it's hard to see it falling below that. Maybe it will be a 23. The ABV suits this perfectly and the price is unbearable. There's some tartness, but it is terifically balanced. Every moment of drinking this is a delight. It doesn't have the fullness of juicy fruit and Sherry presence that Glenfarclas 2t does, but it's really close in terms of richness and sweetness, with a bit more Joseph Magnus to it, along with some rum tropical flavors, a bit of fireworks. The complexity is greater here without doubt and so is the richness. There's a bit of orange on the long finish that is kind of light and slightly odd, but interestingly like a Cognac. It's hard to say that this is anything other than the single best deal in spirits, possibly even for mixing. It doesn't have the same amount of vanilla, tart pop, and smoky kick as Joseph Magnus, which I feel like just means that I'm again declaring it to be right between Joseph Magnus and Glenfarclas 25. It's even right between when it comes to ABV (43% < 46% < 50%). But it also has some tropical notes of rum. I sure love Joseph Magnus and Glenfarclas 25 right after tasting this, but I also sure love this after tasting both of them. At least for my tastes, I might have found the optimal Scotch, bourbon, and Rum. To be fair, I was somewhat more impressed by this when compared with Glenfarclas 25 and somewhat less impressed with this when compared with Joseph Magnus, but I've also compared Glenfarclas 25 with Joseph Magnus and found the former to be superior, so maybe I just need to accept that some preferences are not transitive :/ Regardless, this is an amazing rum, especially for the price. My tastes in spirits seem to be very similar, but that's fine. I like the variations among them, but I love that one core flavor. This is terrifically woody in a way that is brilliantly executed without tasting like it has been over oaked and getting that cardboard taste, possibly with mildew. I'll leave it at a 22 for now, but this is a heavy hitter for sure and it might reach 23. OK, that's probably an exaggeration. It's a fantastic sherry bomb. Damn though. Plantation Trinidad has been my favorite up until now, but even though it's amazing, this is both better and a better deal. Damn.