Privateer The Queen's Share Rum

Rating: 11/23 I like Privateer Navy Yard. It's not super nuanced, but it has some really nice vanillins and richness. This is supposed to be a (small?) step up, so I'm quite curious to try it. E: This is little less dark than Privateer Navy Yard. It's not light, but it lacks that luscious bit of extra darkness. N: There's vanillin with a musty wood that isn't super nuanced, but does have a decadence to it. It's a less brash and brazen nose than the Navy Yard, but it's also more refined. It's less interesting, but indicates what is likely a more balanced dram. P: Some sweet vanillins with wood leads directly into some biting spices that burn a bit. The spices are on the more savory side with an earthiness that starts to touch on chili pepper coming through. I'm not getting a ton of complexity here and there's also a little bit of bitter alcohol bite. I really do get a significant spicy alcohol bite in here that makes this a bit harsh. Adding some water, the profile stays largely the same and the harshness still shows. It's less aggressive, but only because it's weaker. F: The vanillins come back after leaving for a bit and I get a subtle layer of mustiness, which is frankly the best thing about this entire dram. Some light earthiness comes back, but then it fades back into the mustiness and sweet vanillins. This finish is actually pretty nice and is definitely a significant improvement over the palate. - Conclusion - This is fine, but it lacks the decadence of the Privateer Navy Yard (17/23) and also is harsher without really being more complex. This is also more bitter and earthy than the Navy Yard and less sweet. The Navy Yard is clearly significantly better. This is not going to be above a 15. Panama-Pacific 23 (16/23) is much smoother than this and has an interesting fruitiness that this lacks. I think that a 15 is too high for this now. I'm thinking that this could be as low as an 11 with all of its harshness. I wouldn't go down to a 10 because the alcohol doesn't show that much and there is some nice mustiness on the finish, which is really the high point of this dram. Even with water, this really struggles. Coming back to it again, I'm thinking that it's a 10 or 11. I'll go with an 11 for now. I can even imagine a 9. This is really challenging. I'm super disappointed.

Im fortunate to live in an area that has access to a number of single cask selections from Privateer; this was a PM Spirits pick. I’ve always wanted to love Privateer, having grown up in the Boston area and knowing they make a rum particularly tuned to the bourbon palate, but this wasnt the bottle that won me over. No, falling first for funky Hampden, Beenleigh and Guyanese rums this just felt too subtle. It took some bolder Privateer releases, a 7 year molasses based rum and a cask strength queens share collab with PM spirits to hook me and when I revisited this bottle suddenly it clicked with me. Now I strongly believe this distiller stands up to the best Foursquare can offer. This particular bottle can be very bourbon-y with the new oak influence, but its unmistakably a rum with its excellent mouthfeel, coconut and anise notes. I started this bottle as a Privateer skeptic practically ready to write off the distillery and emptied it a die hard fan so excited to see whats in store for the future.

P168 ABV 54.7 Proof 109.4 Body has some legs. Light to medium. Color is deep amber. Not sure where the red hues are coming from. Nose is vanilla forward with less ethanol than I expected for the proof. Hints of oak and cinnamon. Palette has an oily mouth feel. Light burn on the front which leads way to vanilla, baking spices, oak, and a hint of tobacco. There is a slight saltiness on the edges that mixes with the hint of tobacco to create the taste of smelling leather. Finishes is light with a lingering cinnamon on the back of the throat. A few drops of water really blooms the vanilla.

Nice clear, deep bronze color. Good legs, thin and quick moving. Clean medium nose, low alcohol for 109 proof spirit. There’s an interesting mustiness with hints of oak, vanilla and Baking spices with some ripe banana well hidden. Very dry, but with a full palate. Nice spice notes that build on the palate then linger on the back finishing with almost a sweet note of toffee or treacle. Overall a very good rum with some nice complexity while still being very approachable. Far too good for a cocktail but very fine either neat or with just a small cube to open it up.

Barrel #P321 55.4% ABV Breathing this in, the aroma feels dense and heavy, lots of molasses, caramel, vanilla bean, and charred cinnamon stick. Dense, viscous mouthfeel. More molasses on the palate, with creme brulee, toffee and buttery cinnamon toast. The finish is where this one disappoints. It starts well with burnt sugar and a bit of cinnamon, but tapers off to a harsh, astringent note that stays with you way too long. Without the finish, this would easily be a 4+ star rum, but that harsh ending turns it into more of a mixer for me.

P303, 56.9% Pretty strong nose with an alcohol scent. Not particularly smooth, but not surprising at 120 proof. Amazing flavor at this proof. The barreling had imparted a lot of flavor, leaving it with almost an essence of Scotch. Not overly pleasant straight, but could make some great cocktails.