Privateer New England Reserve

Privateer New England Reserve is made at the Privateer distillery north of Boston, a producer with a reputation for clean, additive-free, transparently made rum. This expression blends pot and column still molasses spirit, matures it in ex-bourbon barrels for around two years and bottles it at a confident 45%.

Despite its youth it drinks balanced and dry, with the alcohol well tucked in. The nose offers coconut, vanilla, butter and a floral lift, the palate adds citrus and roasted almonds over a rounded, slightly sweet core, and the finish turns dry, toasted and oak-led. It openly courts bourbon lovers, the barrel character is front and centre, yet it keeps a distinct rum identity underneath. For drinkers who want a dry, honestly made New England rum with bourbon-barrel polish, it punches above its short maturation.