I walked into the room and there she was. She stood out among the others - tall and slender. The first thing I noticed was her amber glow. As I approached her I was overwhelmed by the elegant smell of roses and coconuts. I picked up the glass and took my first sip and I was astonished by her complexity. Caramel and honey and spicy cinnamon. The flavors lingered long after I had swallowed and I knew that I was in love.
Until I saw her silver sister...
Crystal clear, with a subtle honey-suckle scent and a supple body. Delicate flavors of pear-eau-de-vie and a gentle burning heat. Sip after sip her creamy, rich finish left me wanting more.
I couldn’t tell which rum won my heart that evening, but in the end it didn’t matter. They both had me falling in love with rum.
That was a brief retelling of my first experience absolutely loving rum. The distiller is Privateer in Ipswich, MA. The first rum I described was their Amber ‘True American.’ Twice distilled from Grade A Molasses and Brown Sugar, the True American is aged in three types of New Oak barrels (French, Hungarian and American), then finished in three types of Second Fill barrels (Bourbon, Sherry and Brandy). The resulting spirits are then carefully blended batch by batch, creating a unique and complex rum each time. Sip it on its own or throw it over ice.
The second rum was a true surprise; previous to my little affair with Privateer’s Silver Reserve I had only ever had white rum mixed in drinks. Sipping on this, however, was an experience that far surpassed my expectations. Also twice distilled, this spirit is made from a base of Cane Juice and Brown Sugar. Aged in Stainless Steel to allow the flavor compounds to mature, the Silver Reserve is finally bottled unfiltered to allow for a rich and creamy mouth-feel. The biggest surprise for me was the delicate palate - subtle pear fruit with a hint of vanilla had me fooled into thinking I was sipping on an eau-de-vie. Certainly a far cry from the rum and coke’s I thought I enjoyed in college.
Needless to say my night with Privateer began what is sure to be a lifelong love affair with rum.