Kirk and Sweeney 12-Year

I bought this simply for the the bottle and to try a Dominican flavor. I agree with a strong aroma of vanilla, but I am not feeling the oak others do, a tiny bit of smoke but seems very light. Small bit of sweetness and finishes very smooth. At ~$30 it is a real bargain.

Wow, this is the first rum that I have had that the first word I would say is tobacco. Very smokey and oaky. Very nice sipping rum on the rocks. I will look for this rum again!

I was not expecting quality from anything unknown from Costco. Color me impressed. The overall profile was something like a smoother, most Zaya 12 yr. Some molasses up front, light oak middle, and a vanilla undertone. I'm definitely adding this to my short list.

Big oak...raw, uncut sugar...cocoa de maracaibo, roasted peanuts with a caramel glaze tossed in sea salt, heavily toasted coconut...vanilla, eggs, and nutmeg come together to form a creamy bread pudding. The understated nose leades to a more revealing palate with matching notes and undertones of fried plantains, key lime zest, blood orange juice, kumquats, black carrots, acacia honey and alfalfa sprouts. It does lack balance and is oak dominant, and attempts to make up for it (with marginal success) by offering a smorgasboard of high quality, nuanced flavors-- both complex and challenging to discern. Lovely finish of good length, light-- but not thin: fresh sugar cane (bottoms of the cut tops), clean rain water, sweet tangy raspberry, vanilla, dairy cream, mild golden tobacco with undertones of blueberries and strawberry rhubarb. Mouth feel is supple and creamy, juicy then tannic. Aged well, this rum is nicely mellowed by the oak-- having virtually no burn. Please note: this is a Dominican rum-- grown, distilled, and aged entirely in the Dominican Republic (those who know Dominican soil can attest!)...it is only BOTTLED in the USA... (sourced from Santiago de los Caballeros, D.R.). For under $35, I recommend to those looking for a rum that is heavy on charred oak imparts. My unbiased score is a 6...however I love heavily oaked rums, so my biased score is an 8! :D (I don't often give 9s or 10s).

Lots of Vanilla