SONOMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.
“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.
“Playing off the concept of global navigation, we silkscreened an antique nautical map of the main rum smuggling route around the circumference of the bottle,” Sebastiani said. “The neck features custom hand-numbering. Along with the ornate logo, the photo of the ship and a safety seal that is printed to look like nautical brass, the overall design serves as a reminder of the risk so many were willing to take for a good taste of rum during the 1920’s.”
Kirk and Sweeney Rum, which retails for $40 per 750ml bottle, became available nationwide in restaurants and high-end wine and bottle shops on Dec. 3. It joins Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin and Masterson’s Straight Rye Whiskey in the 35 Maple Street portfolio. The company will also introduce a small-batch bourbon in the near future.
35 Maple Street is the spirits division of The Other Guys (TOG), a cutting edge wine company headquartered in Sonoma, CA. Its president, August Sebastiani, is a fourth-generation member of one of California’s oldest wine families, which has been a leader in the California wine industry since August’s great-grandfather, Samuele Sebastiani, opened his eponymous winery almost 110 years ago. TOG focuses on producing top-quality wines and spirits at reasonable price points. Among its most popular wine labels are Plungerhead and Hey Mambo. www.togwines.com or www.facebook.com/togwines.