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XO stands for "Extra Old" but how does this bottle of Bourbon Casked Rum from Costco's Kirkland Signature line measure up?
📚Background: Finished in used Cognac barrels, this bottle is a product of Guatemala, imported for Costco by MISA IMPORTS out of Dallas Texas. MISA, named after the founder's children Michael and Sarah, started primarily as a sourcing partner for fine wines, but has since expanded operations into sourcing spirits. MISA's rum brand partners include 1731, Autentico Nativo, and Navy Island. We would have to guess the maker if not for the back label which clearly identifies one Olivier Dumont, Master Blender. Mr. Dumont works for Les Bienheureux, a French company growing at an alarming rate that has both a foothold in French Whisky and Costa Rican Rum. Les Bienheureux is the company behind "El Pasador De Oro" (roughly translated as "Gold Pin") which has two widely available iterations. The XO version retails for $46.99 and the Gran Reserva upgrade for $52.99, both distributed by Spirits Direct to Total Wine and other big boxes. The XO won a Gold at the San Francisco Spirits contest in 2020 while the Gran Reserva took home Double Gold, a pretty good showing to say the least. Our Kirkland rum shares the same bottle as the El Pasadors above and likely much of the same spirit lineage. Though the XO branding implies extreme age, it is an unregulated term when applied to rum and does not have any official quality control or approval. For a Congnac, XO would mean that it has been aged for at least six years (though there has been talk of increasing this requirement to 10 years). I trust Costco, so I'll hold that the age statement is at least six years.
🧪Proof: 80 Proof, 40% Alcohol by Volume
🎨Color: R3.5 - Darker than some whiskies I've had recently, I can buy a 6-year age on this. The wood wouldn't be virgin, so I wouldn't expect it to be quite as dark as a similarly aged bourbon.
🥔Mash Bill: Molasses distilled via column still by a number of producers in Guatemala. The Rum is then sent to Charente, France where it undergoes the finishing/aging process and MR Olivier Dumont works his magic to blend out any issues. We do love a good barrel aged rum!
👃Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar, and a bit of earthiness that in theme I would call tobacco. Strong at first but settles down after the first sniff.
😜Palate: Very smooth, honey and hibiscus with a strong vanilla finish. Like having cake and then smoking a mild cigar at a baby shower. It may verge on being a touch over the line with me for sweetness, but I can go back to the tobacco leaf undertone for solace. I wonder if they add some sugar back after distillation? That does occasionally happen with other producers.
💦Finish: Short and Sweet blast of brown sugar, a bit of the earthiness remains
🏆 Overall: 6/10 - Very Good, A Cut Above - This drinks as well as its El Pasador cousins and for about half the cost. It's not a crazy bottle by any means but the only real flaw is the shortness of the finish. Flavors are simple but deliver on the typical rum promises.
Rum & Coke Test: Easy to drink, I was afraid it would get lost in a rum coke, but the woody vanilla actually went in perfect. I used a 1:3 ratio of rum to coke and didn't feel bad about it at this price point.
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I'd rather have.
5 | Good | Good, an agreeable dram indeed
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.