Kirk and Sweeney 23 Year Rum

The Bottle: This thing is crazy. Short, squat and round with a base so thick that it reminds you of a rocks glass. It can be kind of polarizing, but it definitely stands out in a bar...as long as it's in the front row. The design has some nice references to the old rum running days with some fluff about origin of the name and some tasting notes. As if the shape were not sufficiently distinct, this thing has a cork. A legitimate cork instead of a stopper or a screw top. It's very Pirates of the Caribbean in that you have to pry the thing loose every time you want to get into it. I choose to look at this as a whimsical element, so I can get onboard with it...but it's worth calling out. If you have problems with your hands, you should seriously think about the challenge that this could present before purchasing. In the Glass: Dark, burnished bronze. On the Nose: Subtle. Leather, spice, dates and sweetness. With the age that this has on it (more on that in a bit) and the 40% ABV, it comes off as very smooth. It isn't a jackhammer by any stretch. It seems polite, reserved and attractive. Taste: This is a very smooth rum. It reminds me of what Captain Morgan's Private Stock “should” taste like. It is not overly sweet, but the sugary elements that are in here have a muscovado flavor to them. The development has a leather note to it that then turns into heavy vanilla for the entire finish. There is no afterburn to this whatsoever. As with most rums that carry an age statement, we have to remember that this could literally mean anything. My guess is that there some solera aging going on here, so it's anyone's guess what the final composition really is with respect to age. It honestly doesn’t matter. Kirk & Sweeney have put together a very smooth and highly approachable sipping rum with this one. It doesn't have the depth of complexity that a Panama-Pacific 23 or even a Ron Zacapa 23, but it's also right around half the cost of those rums. If you were looking for a good first foray into a smooth sipping rum, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this.