Kirk and Sweeney 12-Year

Decent weighted bottle, lovely golden colour. Has a real feel of quality about this rum which I find very well rounded.

Immediately out of the bottle (and what a lovely bottle) there's a bit too much alcohol on the nose for me to really discern much. Letting it breathe a little reveals light notes of vanilla, dried fruit, and golden syrup.

The flavor that immediately hits you is the bitterness of that oak, which gets balanced out by sort of a spiced vanilla flavor, with a developing sweetness. There's fruity notes in there, too, but certainly not as much nor as overripe as something like an Appleton, for sure. It all kind of blends into something approaching caramel as you mull it all over. What you're left with at the end is a gentle warm burn, with nothing else really dominating the palate. This is not a rum that wants to overstay its welcome.

In total, this stuff is simple, unassuming, a little sweet ( but not oversweet), and enormously drinkable. Seriously, this isn't my favorite rum by any means, but it has this trick where the bottle opens and the stuff just sort of starts evaporating. A very approachable drink.

This is a great sipping rum which I like to have on the rocks. Very smooth, not real thick or sweet. Has a slight afterburn on the tongue that pleasantly reminds you that it is rum.

Not a bad rum. A little on the sweet side and a little heavy on the vanilla but overall very drinkable and worth a try.

Man this is some good stuff for 35 bucks. It’s not really able to go neat or even just a couple ice cubes, it’s definitely on the rocks. That’s where you get the best flavor and smoothness, and it’s probably great for mixing with pineapple soda or whatever else if you’re good with a 35/bottle mixer. Definitely keeping with this, but the Kirk and Sweeney 18 is the way to go if you don’t mind the extra 15 bucks for the bottle.

Although the bottle looks great, I was disappointed in the taste. Namely the lack of flavor. Letting it sit in the glass for 10-15 minutes helped, but wouldn't be a rum I would buy again to drink neat or on the rocks. Makes a great rum and coke but not the type of rum I want to buy and mix with.

Poured neat, it has a light smoky sweetness with a hint of cherry on the nose. The first sip is delicious and fills the mouth with caramel sweetness and smoky oak. Very smooth. This is a great sipper.

Nice rum also but for the price I think there are better value rums out there. But don't forget this is very subjective. Some like sweet and some prefer the more subtle notes. K&S 18 is my favorite of the three.

Great bottle with nice flavor and is smooth in the glass. You will enjoy this rum. Lightly sweet with hints of butterscotch and vanilla with oak and spice. A little bit of almond and dry fruit also. Finishes quick and leaves fruity hints behind.

Dry with light notes of vanilla and caramel. Unfortunately, it has a disturbing and intrusive taste of wood that is present from the beginning to end. I've never experienced a similar taste in a rum.