Not a huge Balvenie fan. Also not a huge rum fan. Even with those two factors this was surprisingly good. Unfortunately, it still had those undertones of the usual, stock flavors of Balvenie (grape, sweetener, dryness) that I don't care for. The sweetness of this one is more manageable than the 12. It's a much appreciated brown sugar and brown bread depth that separates this from the 12. There are definitely tastes of rum, the vanilla and added spiced warmth, but it's not overpowering and is mostly on the backend. It adds some more pleasant notes to the finish with the obvious tropical tones but also an apple freshness. The thing that makes this just ok to me is the Balvenie. This jumped $15-20 or more a bottle the last year or so and not worth it to me. I completely see the appeal to the many fans of it but will not be buying a bottle myself.