Review #: 361
Description: Privateer Letter of Marque “Rumming Head Start”
Spirit: Rum
Background: This is a single barrel selection of privateer rum. Privateer has moved to their Distiller’s Drawer bottles to be from the distillery and now selected barrels for groups or retailers are under the title of “Letter of Marque.” This one was aged in New American Oak for 2 years and 4 months before being selected by Baytowne Wine & Spirits in New York.
Distillery – Privateer
Bottler – Privateer
Brand – Privateer
Selection – Baytowne Wine & Spirits
ABV – 54.8%
Age – 2 Years
Nose – Rich maple syrup, molasses, tons of baking spices; cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, candied nuts, marshmallow, almost a little bit of melon in there too which keeps it from being too sweet.
Taste – Very rich. Molasses, maple syrup, iced cinnamon bun, pecan pie, caramel,
Finish – Lots of spices both barrel and baking, slightly burnt caramel, toasted marshmallow, then light tobacco lingers in tandem with the spice
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? Yes
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this. Privateer really knows how to deal with new oak. I was tempted to give this a higher score, but this is pretty dessert-y. I think it has a nice depth to it but I could see some people being a little bit overwhelmed by the sweetness. I say chalk it up as another great example to show people who like dosed rum that you don’t need that to get a sweet experience from rum.