Dominican rum model Kirk and Sweeney has modified since final we encountered it over a decade in the past. No less than on the floor. The transfer occurred someday round 2020 with the model buying and selling their lineup of age-stated 12-, 18-, and 23-year-old rums for a contemporary, ageless core portfolio. The brand new product steady consists of a Reserva, Gran Reserva, and Gran Reserva Superior, all of which purport to resemble their earlier, well-aged incarnations however with the moderately massive caveat that youthful rums at the moment are within the combine and the age statements are out.
This was probably all the time the case to a point, as age-stated Dominican rums can embody a wholesome portion (49%) of rum that solely averages the age displayed on the label. In recent times, nevertheless, world markets have moved towards requirements popularized by whiskey whereby the age-statement corresponds to the youngest spirit within the bottle, which can have prompted Kirk and Sweeney to scrap age statements altogether. Or maybe they simply determined they might obtain a greater product with extra freedom within the mix. We acquired a pattern of the mid-tier Gran Reserva for evaluation, so let’s see for ourselves.
Kirk and Sweeney Gran Reserve Rum Evaluate
As a reminder, that is rum produced within the Dominican Republic from blackstrap molasses and aged in used American oak. Whereas not marketed on the bottle itself, a cling tang denotes that this expression consists of rums aged from 3 to 18 years.
Within the glass, Gran Reserva shows a barely lighter amber hue than the 18-year-old expression that we tasted over a decade in the past. On the nostril, the aroma is massive with caramelized sugar, buttery toffee, and vanilla frosting. Undertones of sentimental baking spice, oak, currants, and cocoa powder construct with time within the glass and mood a number of the preliminary sugary sweetness, coalescing with time into a sublime and alluring bouquet of Tootsie Roll, sandalwood, and chocolate cherries.
The palate is spherical and expressive however not practically as candy because the 18-year-old providing. High notes of vanilla cream and caramel candies set the muse however keep balanced throughout every silky sip. The winey sweetness of the previous expression is gone for probably the most half from this latest iteration, changed by a drier midpalate of grated nutmeg and cinnamon sugar with refined undertones of brewed espresso and light-weight brown sugar. The beneficiant end is gently spiced and accented with a fruity elevate of candied orange peel and raisin. It’s a properly balanced rum with a basic profile that ought to attraction to most, and whereas it strikes a barely completely different tune than the age-stated providing we tasted over a decade in the past, it stays a strong rum for sipping or cocktailing.
80 proof.
A- / $45 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Kirk and Sweeney Gran Reserve Rum
USD45
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