Kirkland Spiced

Seems like this rum used a Costco sized serving of artificial flavors. Can't knock them too much for it because it says so on the label. I found it to be pleasant but with a lingering unnatural vanilla syrup aftertaste. The price and presentation is right for large parties. Would explore other brands for my personal use.

Just had a Dark and Stormy head to head with Lemon Heart Blackpool Spiced. This came second. Not offensive in any way. It's only negative was being too mild in aroma and flavor. It came across more like a decent 3-5 year unspiced than anything else. Certainly drier than the Demerara sweetness of the Blackpool. Given the proof and the price it owes no apology.

This a good rum by volum. It works well when people just drop by for a drink. Hid the good stuff.

This is a very well priced rum that's not a great choice for drinking neat, but perfectly good for a dark & stormy.

This is not one I can sip, but it is great in cocktails. Nice vanilla flavor in cola or root beer. And it's cheap.

This is Costco production of a spiced rum and seems to be an excuse for adding in loads of sugar and additives ... Tastes like the corner shop sweets to me with a bit of spice ... Not a fan personally as drinking the huge 1.5l may need a trip to the dentist ... Lucky for me I only had a 25ml same from a friend ... Certainly something I won't be purchasing

Great rum for the price and I can not tell the difference between expensive rum and this rum

Decent spiced rum. Not going to win any contests, but a decent bottle for mixing, and great at the price. I bought one bottle, and will happily drink it all, but probably won't replace it. No complaints, just not anything special, and for what it is (a cheap spiced rum), I prefer Captain.

...or Goslings or any other $30+/fifth bottle of rum. But I don't think it's nearly as bad as some of the reviews I've read. I almost didn't buy it purely on the number of negative reviews. But then I realized many of the complaints were based on it having too much bite.

Just like anything I drink straight, I put a splash of water in it to knock down the alcohol. Doesn't matter if it's a $75 bottle of single malt scotch, or a $16 bottle of rum. Since this is higher alcohol content at 92 proof, I just put a little bigger splash in it. Once you knock down the alcohol content a bit, it's actually very smooth, mildly spicy, and has a strong vanilla overtone. No bad aftertaste. Certainly for $16 a bottle plus tax, it's a great value.

As a side note, I had a similar experience with Costco's blended scotch (not the 12 year stuff... that is quite good... I'm talking about the cheaper one). The first time I tried it, it was so harsh I almost returned it. But when I upped the water splash a bit, it took the bite away and left me with something inexpensive and pleasant to drink.

I was surprised at the smoothness considering the cheap price. I have had far worse for a lot more money. Not bad neat paired with a cigar. Keep on hand for cheap company.