Kirk and Sweeney XO Rum (75cl, 65.5%)

Kirk and Sweeney XO is a cask-strength Dominican rum, bottled at 65.5% and kept for the brand's limited editions. It is made in Santiago de los Caballeros from blackstrap molasses, then fermented, distilled and aged in American oak, all within the Dominican Republic. It comes in a handmade crystal decanter modelled on the bottles of the rum-running era, with sandblasted lettering hand-painted in gold. The name comes from a wooden schooner that carried rum to the US Northeast during Prohibition. The colour is deep amber with golden hues. The nose offers dried fruits and oak with caramel and toffee, and the palate brings toasted oak, vanilla, raisin and sherry over spice. The finish is long, warm and robust.