Wine Review: Rethinking rum at summer’s end

Editor’s note: Springfield Business Journal wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein takes a break from vino to explore rum liquor.

Summertime is typically when heavier red wines are pushed to the side in favor of the lighter white wines and mixed drinks. Of all the spirits used in mixed drinks, tequila and rum are the standouts to me.

Rum is the preferred beverage of the tropical Caribbean islands, so it stands to reason that it should go over well during our hot, humid summer season. The spirit distilled from sugar cane has taken on a second meaning in the world of mixed drinks.

While rarely taken neat (undiluted), it has become a summer favorite for mixed drinks. The reason is quite simple: Most of the rums in the marketplace are quickly made, cheap imitations of the real thing from days of old. The best rum can and should be enjoyed without any additions; that means no fruits, juices or the abomination of rum and Coke. In the case of the latter, I believe that rum is added to the cola just to add alcohol.

A quality rum should be treated in a manner as one would treat a fine cognac or single-malt Scotch whisky. These rums also should be enjoyed neat or “on the rocks,” so the extent of their flavor and aroma can be fully enjoyed. However, I will note a better rum will add a dark sugar flavor and greater complexity to mixed drinks that many of the “house brands” will not.

Among the better rums are those from Dominican Republic made by Santiago De Los Caballeros and bottled under the label Kirk and Sweeney. Interestingly, Kirk and Sweeney was the name of a Prohibition-era rum running schooner that eluded capture until it was seized in 1924. If the name was chosen to add a bit of adventure, or spice, to the rum, it wasn’t necessary. It’s in a class by itself.

Kirk and Sweeney 12 Year ($40)
This is a well-made rum that can add dignity to any mixed drink but works just as well “straight.” The 12-year-old reference in the name indicates the length of time aged in wooden barrels. It’s a rather long aging period for rum, resulting in a dark color and smoothness. Dried apricots, orange peel, vanilla, brown sugar, tropical spices and toast are easily discernible in the aroma. The taste is a well-balanced mixture of chestnuts, pecans, bananas, butterscotch and brown sugar. The years spent in the barrel have resulted in a smooth and mellow beverage; how you enjoy it is strictly up to you.

Kirk and Sweeney 18 Year ($50)
The aging results in a mellow, full-flavored and dark-colored rum with a velvet-like smoothness. While the aroma is multifaceted, the most pronounced are butterscotch, toast, walnuts and oak. The flavor is complex with coffee, cinnamon, walnuts and caramel. While this rum has the all-pervasive sensation of brown sugar, it is a totally dry taste. It makes a delightful after-dinner drink in place of brandy or can add increased depth and enjoyment to mixed drinks.

Kirk and Sweeney 23 Year ($60)
This old rum has the smoothness and clear, deep amber color of the finest cognac. The aroma is rich and heavy with butterscotch, vanilla, oak and burnt sugar. Its flavor is a complex blend of orange peel, clove and allspice that rides on an impressive base of vanilla and caramel. These flavors carry over to the finish, where they remain on the palate for an inordinately long time. There is little this rum compares to except those super-expensive brandies that are sold in crystal decanters.

Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.