Kirk and Sweeney 23-Year

This rum is dangerous!
It is so incredibly smooth, you could practically glug it down, if you had a mind to.
It has everything the 12-year old has, but is even smoother.
I feel it is possibly a touch sweeter, and with more character.
I paid £56 for this one, which I feel is a decent price, but the problem is that I have enjoyed it a little too much ... I have only one small pour left only 5 days after buying it.
I found myself wondering if this means I'm an alcoholic, since I can't wait to get my tongue in amongst it. However, I'm reassured by the fact that I know that if there were none left of this bottle, I would still not be tempted by one of the other bottles I have ... MG Eclipse, Morgan's Spiced. Certainly not for sipping neat, anyway.

Překvapilo mně, že KS 23y je dost pepřový. Nevím jestli to je záměr, ale u takto starého rumu je to dost nepříjemné. Pak sice přejde do lehce karamelového tónu s náznakem sudu. Závěr super. Proto 7b.

Wery nice one, complex and ballanced, full. Dried fruits. On the beginning with also wood taste, later sweet tone also with honey like.

To be clear this is an añejo rum made from fermented and distilled blackstrap molasses, not an agricole rhum which is made from distilled squeezed sugar cane juice that hasn’t been fermented. I say this as some have mistakenly called this an agricole, which has a difference in production and flavors.
That said, this rum is excellent if you prefer complex, smooth, and subtly sweet rums! There are aromatic notes of sweet spices with vanilla being the dominant character and a nominal cask flavor even though these are aged for 23 years in lightly charred American oak barrels. For me, casked spirits tend to leave an almost acidic taste on the palate but this one doesn’t at all. At 80 proof you will get a nice warming buzz without too much of a burn when sipping. I enjoy this straight, on the rocks, and mixed. Some personal suggestions to mix this are to sub for vodka in a Moscow mule with Reed’s ginger beer and a squeeze of lime or with a good agave/cane based cola such as Q Kola or Maine Root Mexicane Cola (add a squeeze of lemon if you’re adventurous).

aroma is very pleasant, with extremely strong vanilla notes! Taste is also strong vanilla, and one of the smoothest runs I’ve ever had. Overall, a vanilla bomb. Delicious, but once again I prefer a more complex rum at this price. 90+

Enjoyed this quite a bit. I tend to drink it as an after-dinner drink. It does not overpower but is a smooth and tasty end to a meal.

The deep amber color is beautiful in a crystal glass. Vanilla dominates the nose but much more is present; hard to define but complex fruit notes. Coffee and vanilla on the tongue, followed by more vanilla in the finish, with rich caramel. Cask finish may have included sherry casks? This is my first age-statement dark rum, so cask type is much more prominent than Solera rums. Very nice overall!

Very nice aroma of something tropical, fudge and soft toffee with a hint of orange. Thick and super soft mouthfeel. One of the best sipping rums for about $40. goes great with a fine Cigar.....Enjoy

8 and a half. Price too high . What's the deal with 23 years? Is that the limit with rum? Probably would like this at 100 proof.

...what a tasty product and what a lovely bottle. I’ll keep one in my bar all the time!

Intense cask taste. At start alcohol vapors prevents full smell experience.
After 10-15min more aromas comes noticeable. All present vanilla as dominant (beside caks taste). Not to sweet.
The bottle is one of most prettiest.
Good ratio of quality and price.

Great flavor and very smooth. Drinkable and mixable. Nothing bad to say about it

Having tried their 12 and 18 year olds, I finally got around to trying this 23 year old. It reminds me of the 18 year old except I don't notice any leather and the wooden notes are ever so slightly more. This one is also $7 more than the 18 year old, so flip a coin to see which one you prefer on any given day. Just stay away from the 12 year old. I still recommend the 18 Year as the best buy from them.

Update May 7, 2019: For those of you who still have the old bottles of K&S with them being widest at the top, KEEP THEM as they will soon become collector's items!!! The new bottles are totally round and look like rum versions of Chambord Liqueur. I kid you not! I at first criticized my bottle of K&S 12 as being hard to pour and needing two hands. At least the cork fits tight and the bottle is unlikely to spill on a rocking boat out to sea! After having a lot a very bad rum bottle designs, those original K&S bottles are for keeps! Hang on to them.

This is a much better offering than the 18 year old. Nice from start to finish.

If it were any smoother you would question was it alcohol. It definitely opens up after breathing for 20 mins. Oakey Smokey butterscotch. One of my favourites with plantation 20th and zafra. 48 dollars in NYC

K&S 23 is one of the best rums I have tasted. It is definitely worth the £48 I paid for it, I don't think you can buy a better rum in that price range. Awesome flavours and smoothness with no burn. Oh and the bottle looks great.

Especially for an agricole. It smells like caramel and pecans. It looks good in the glass. It goes down easy. But it tastes like added sugar. Maybe there isn’t any but I would put a little bit of money on it. Still, it’s good. If there was no added sugar I would increase this to a nine.

Not too sweet, not too dry. Wonderful warmth on the nose and tongue. Mild spice on finish with beautiful medium gold color.
An excellent sipper

Beautiful sweetness with toffee rather than the plain sugar kick some rums have. Tingle rather than burn, great aroma, long finish. Just very pleasant and inexpensive for the quality, which is why I've given a generous 9

Fak,že jsem čekal trochu více. Nicméně vůně po chvilkovém odležení ve skleničce je velice příjemná a ovocná. Vanilka a cherry je opravdu cítit. Nicméně chybí mi trochu sladkosti (podotýkám nejsem moc na sladké rumy) a nadbýa mi zase přílišná ostrost. Ale pitelný kousek to určitě je.

The first tasting was weird, cork is not exactly "tight" and it has small particles floating in it. It also tasted a bit dilluted. It is supposedly made from cane juice. After some time on shelve, I tasted strong vanilla, additives probably.

Tobacco and prunes, with a zesty kick of lime and Sherried orange peel.
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very similar to the Millionario Rum
very sweet and without a particular original flavor
but a good Rum

tried this first sip and didnt really care for it.

then i heard on the site to let it breath for a bit and voila... fantastic. i didnt really think that small step could make such a difference.

This is by far the best rum I've tasted. Its not too sweet. Tastes of caramel, and vanilla. I buy the Kirk and Sweeney 18 frequently and its a great rum, but there is some batch to batch variability. The 23 taste more mature and balanced.