Nose: Tastings sometimes happen under the strangest circumstances. I sat down with my sample only to have my wife immediately tell me it is my turn to hang with the kid while he does his daily ablutions. These can take a while. So here I am, sitting cross legged on the floor of the bathroom, laptop perched on one leg, and a copita of newmake rum in my right hand wondering.. does this actually smell earthy or is it just my kid? To make it up to me, Sojourn volunteered to help me with the notes. First note from him… “OUCH. That hurts my nose dad. Way too strong. Oooouuuch ouch ouch. Forget it, I’m out. But you can write cherries in your notes.” Kid has an amazing nose but this defeated him. For me, trying this blind, I would have guessed a poire williams brandy. Quite fruity. Crisp pear, unripe bananas and a bit of salinity. The lightest pastry vibe but hard to appreciate it with the potent alcohol wafting off this. Resting did not help.

Palate: Yup, this is hot. Damascus in summer type of hot. And yet, oddly gentle in flavors once you crawl past it. A savory licorice vibe paired with bosc pears. Hints of pineapple. It’s yum. Then it gets oddly mineral and a touch coppery. That salt from the nose shows up as green olive, more the brine than the flesh. I like all the individual elements, and can see more evolving as it sits, but it is time to take my parents out to a fancy dinner. So peace.

Rating: 4 / 10 – I’d either need more concentrated flavors to stand up to this heat, or dial it back a notch. This has great potential but I would not reach for it regularly. That said, I’m curious to try more Privateer as this has all the elements I like in a complex rum.