Kirk & Sweeney, the family brand

31 December 2024 | Interviews & Meetings
Kirk & Sweeney, the family brand

Interview with Jon Lax Director Europe of Kirk & Sweeney Rums

Hello, thank you for giving us an interview. Kirk and Sweeney rum is relatively new to the French market. It has made a place for itself among wine merchants, but little is known about its history or that of the 3 Badge company.

What is the history of this company that dates back to the 19th century?

We are a company rooted in history and at the heart of which is family. 3 Badge Beverage Corporation is a relatively new company, but it is part of a large family business. The Sebastiani family has been based in Sonoma, California, for 5 generations, since 1895. They continued to produce wine even during Prohibition, as church wine. Today, they produce over 10,000,000 cases of wine per year. 3 Badge shares the history of Sonoma and the Sebastiani family. The headquarters is located in the former firehouse, in the center of Sonoma. It was the great-aunt of our president, August Sebastiani, who pointed out that his great-uncles and grandfather were volunteer firefighters in this historic firehouse. She had kept 3 badges. It is in this honor that the company was named 3 Badge Beverage Corporation.

Sugarcane cutter
Sugarcane cutter
The Kirk and Sweeney rum has a unique name as well as special packaging. Can you tell us more about it?

Le Kirk & Sweeney was a wooden schooner, best known for smuggling rum from the Caribbean to the Northeast during the early years of Prohibition, particularly to Long Island, New York. Legend has it that it was seized off the coast of New York with a huge amount of rum on board. The boat is now at the U.S. Coast Guard Museum in Long Island. In the spirit of this rum runner, we named our brand after its legacy, which is worth pursuing. At 3Badge Beverage Corp, we strive to offer affordable luxury products. The three pillars are luxury bottlings, delicious liquids, and affordable prices.

You have a very wide range that culminates with a 25-year-old rum. How would we present this range?

We have a range of four references. For each reference, we select rums that have been aged and bottled in small batches. Our base range consists of bottles with 40% alcohol. We only add rum and water, without any additives or sugar dosage. For the Reserva, rums aged between 3 and 12 years are selected, with the majority of the liquid in the batch being 12 years old. The Gran Reserva is selected from rums aged between 5 and 20 years, with the majority of the liquid in the batch being 18 years old. The Gran Reserva Superior is selected from rums aged between 6 and 25 years, with the majority of the liquid in the batch being 23 years old. Finally, our XO is solely a 25-year-old rum, bottled at a higher proof than the rest of the range, at 65.5%.

What references should one start with to discover Kirk and Sweeney rums?

I would say you should start with the Reserva to discover what Kirk & Sweeney has to offer. What is particularly interesting about our range is that when you taste the three references, what you appreciate is the way our rum ages with more complexity, as that is the only difference with each reference.

Should we expect new developments in the coming months?

We will launch our single barrel at a higher degree. There will be other new releases in 2025.

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Written by

Matthieu Lange
Spirits Advisor