Hook Rum Smells Like Bacon

[augiecrazy8]

Now don't get me wrong, I love bacon as much as the next guy. But I've noticed that throughout my first 3 generations of hook rum there is an ever present hint of bacon. My wife has even said that the kitchen smells like bacon after a run. Especially the backset. Obviously that smell has made its way throughout my cuts. It's especially heavy in the heads, but even the smooth hearts has a bit of a bacon smell to it. Recently I started aging about 1500ml of the rum cut down to 55%/110 proof. I'm using toasted oak chips (not the best option I know, but only option at this point). Even after 2 weeks of oak & distress aging I'm still getting the bacon smell.

I don't know how better to describe the smell, and the distillate has the tiniest hint of bacon in the taste, but its nothing compared to the smell. I would expect it to leave the taste through aging & oaking. I'm a total newbie & have never been exposed to distillate from someone more experienced, so I'm not sure what good stuff should smell like. My concern is that I have never really noticed the cardboard smell that is so often used to describe the tails. I'm wondering if somehow my nose is all screwed up. If someone could tell me I'm not crazy it would be appreciated.