Kirk and Sweeney, the Rum and the Sloop

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  35 Maple Street, the spirits division of The Other Guys (TOG), has announced the release of Kirk and Sweeney Rum, a handcrafted, 12-year-old premium liquor. Kirk and Sweeney becomes the third spirit introduced by 35 Maple Street as it continues to expand its niche in the growing cocktail movement, which has spawned a “gold rush” of cocktail bars and underground speakeasies in urban areas across America over the past five years.

 

"Rum-runner sloop KIRK AND SWEENEY with cases and barrels of rum on her deck, was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard about January 13, 1924.  A generous supply of cases of liquors were kept on deck to save time when the fast motorboats of bootleg smugglers from shore came to make contact outside the three-mile limit (extended to 12-mile limit by Act of Congress April 21, 1924).  The KIRK AND SWEENEY was later renamed the CHASE and used as a training vessel at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in the 1930's."  
Photo No. G-APA-01-13-24 (02) G.F.; 1924; photographer unknown.

   

     “Kirk and Sweeney was the name of a wooden schooner that was best known for smuggling rum from the Caribbean to the Northeast United States during Prohibition,” said August Sebastiani, TOG president. “There’s a historical bent for each of our spirits, so we thought naming the rum after Kirk and Sweeney was appropriate.”

     The rum is made in the Dominican Republic and aged for 12 years in American oak barrels. Its unique packaging – featuring a raised cork in an elegant low-set bottle – was inspired by short, round 18th-century bottles, which typically contained rum.

    This is a beautiful mahogany colored rum with great legs in the glass.   The rum immediately hits you with aromas of wood and vanilla, followed by a light and delicate fruity smooth taste on the palate.  The finish is long lasting and smooth.    I really liked the rum from the first taste and put it on the shelf at the Rum Bar in Key West immediately.    This is a must try new rum, and seems to be available in many areas of the country.   ;o)