Kirkland Spiced

Very strong on the vanilla but at 92 proof it's not bad to have in your cabinet for nights with the kind of company that you want to get a little rowdy with.
I received this as a Christmas present and the aforementioned strength of the vanilla make this pretty compatible with eggnog.

Looks good. Smells good. Have only mixed it, but it sure worked in eggnog. Tasted super sweet with ginger too.

I really enjoyed the Kirkland spiced rum when it initially hit the shelves. This rum + diet coke became my go-to cocktail of choice and I adored the reasonable price. About a year or so ago I had noticed they've completely changed the formula. I've Googled for information about this but I'm not able to find anything. On occasion, I'm able to source an "old rum" bottle from Costco, but I've recently made the mistake of purchasing a case of what I thought was the old rum. It's really nearly undrinkable. Adding some straight up vanilla extract helps, but ...yuck.

...or Goslings or any other $30+/fifth bottle of rum. But I don't think it's nearly as bad as some of the reviews I've read. I almost didn't buy it purely on the number of negative reviews. But then I realized many of the complaints were based on it having too much bite.

Just like anything I drink straight, I put a splash of water in it to knock down the alcohol. Doesn't matter if it's a $75 bottle of single malt scotch, or a $16 bottle of rum. Since this is higher alcohol content at 92 proof, I just put a little bigger splash in it. Once you knock down the alcohol content a bit, it's actually very smooth, mildly spicy, and has a strong vanilla overtone. No bad aftertaste. Certainly for $16 a bottle plus tax, it's a great value.

As a side note, I had a similar experience with Costco's blended scotch (not the 12 year stuff... that is quite good... I'm talking about the cheaper one). The first time I tried it, it was so harsh I almost returned it. But when I upped the water splash a bit, it took the bite away and left me with something inexpensive and pleasant to drink.

Great for mixing with cola. Smoother than captain, a little sweeter too.

Decent spiced rum. Not going to win any contests, but a decent bottle for mixing, and great at the price. I bought one bottle, and will happily drink it all, but probably won't replace it. No complaints, just not anything special, and for what it is (a cheap spiced rum), I prefer Captain.

Just had a Dark and Stormy head to head with Lemon Heart Blackpool Spiced. This came second. Not offensive in any way. It's only negative was being too mild in aroma and flavor. It came across more like a decent 3-5 year unspiced than anything else. Certainly drier than the Demerara sweetness of the Blackpool. Given the proof and the price it owes no apology.

Nice sweet nose - almost exactly like vanilla extract and gingerbread. Would certainly make a tasty cookie, rum... to be determined. Taste starts with a huge amount of rubbing alcohol, then a little cinnamon and spice. Tough to get down, strong and like a spoiled syrup - not made to sip alone. Short finish with a lingering tartness that isn’t great. Next mixed with Coke, not a huge improvement and the same core flavors coming through. There are certainly better flavored/spiced rums.

My neighbor turned me on to this and I found it very amateurish. Asked him where he got it. That answered my question and should answer yours. Costco! No need to carry on any further.

I had rum on my OneNote list ostensibly to make a kind of Venetian carnevale cookie, so when I saw 1.75 liters at my local Costco for $14+, I was giddy-guilty and bought it anyway. The first drink I made was a hot toddy, and I was impressed even with the addition of honey. For some reason, my Cuba Libre now sitting nearly quaffed away at my laptop's side is almost too sweet to take. I agree with the poster who said he'd most likely not replace this, but my Scottish side will not allow me to waste it. Still haven't made those cookies...