Privateer The Queen’s Share Single Cask Rum (Rumbustion Society Exclusive)

This is one of two Privateer rums available at K&L recently (this Queen’s Share is now sold out, but the BIB is still available as of today). While the BIB was a K&L store selection, the sticker on this Queen’s Share indicates it was selected by The Rumbustion Society of Smuggler’s Cove.

The Privateer website indicates the Queen’s Share is a fairly unique product: it is the result of re-distilling the tails from several batches of rum, which allows them to emancipate the hearts that had bled into the tails in their prior batches. This is something I have heard of moonshiners and home distillers doing, but as far as I know most of the larger distillers do not save and re-distill their tails.

Smell: butterscotch pudding, creme brûlée, that bread from grain d’or in the mall with the custard inside it. Behind that there’s a slight cinnamon apple note.

Taste: full and rich, the butterscotch from the nose is less pronounced here but it still has that creamy, desserty thing going on without being too sweet. There’s a small amount of baking spices and also a little bit of rustic funk that I normally find in Armagnac. Thick, oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Nothing new, still heavy on the rich yolky desserts. Medium in length.

Overall: Notably different and in my opinion tastier than the BIB. The whole experience here is pretty rich and luxurious. It’s always fun to see craft distilleries doing things a bit differently, especially when it results in a good product, and Privateer is successful in both regards here.

Spirit Type: Rum
Proof: 110.2
Vintage:
Age: 2 years
Cask Type: American Oak (New)
Rating: B

Privateer Distiller’s Drawer Bottled-in-Bond (K&L Exclusive)

Privateer is a distillery in Massachusetts that opened a handful of years ago and specializes in making rum. I gather that the company, and especially their master distiller, have garnered the approval from many rum geeks. K&L brought in two different Privateer Rums at the same time: this BIB as well as a portion of a cask of “Queen’s Share” that seems to have been selected by famed tiki bar Smuggler’s Cove (which I will review at some point).

Smell: cinnamon, allspice, pine sawdust, freshly cut oak, cedar. 

Taste: tobacco, light brown sugar, cinnamon. With a little water some freshly cut lumber emerges.

Finish: the cinnamon and lumber stand out here. There is a hint of soap also but it is not strong enough to mar the overall experience.

Overall: A well made rum but I am not a fan of those freshly sawn lumber notes, which betray the relatively young age. I will be interested in tasting future expressions after 6-7 years in oak.

Spirit Type: Rum
Proof: 100
Vintage:
Age:
Cask Type: American Oak (New)
Rating: C+