Came for an event on a Saturday, new spirits being released. So I go through the rigormoral of being carded, a bracelet with tabs for trying different rums. Then they explained something about being called and giving me a numbered ticket, and waiting to be called. I only half payed-attention, not understanding what was explained to me I went ahead and walked in the tasting room. I'll follow directions for infusing meds n' stuff at work. But if I'm out to try booze, open game. The tasting room is a beautiful open space. Staff were otherwise polite, oh and was really cool to have one of the distillers pour you a drink and talk about each spirit. After finishing the tasting I came out the way I came in. I don't think that was the way I was supposed to go in. Made a purchase of two delightful sipping rums. Would definitely make the trip back to Ipswitch. read more

Privateer Rum - Bar area - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Ipswich, Massachusetts

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Great tour overall; the guide Kristen was very approachable, knowledgeable and indulged our random questions. Love the story and unique intentionality behind the Privateer brand. Although Ipswitch is a bit far from Boston, the personalized experience was worth the trek. We also enjoyed the post-tour dinner recommendation and drive though the beautiful, historical Ipswitch immensely! read more

Privateer Rum - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Ipswich, Massachusetts

It was a toasty Saturday, and a few of us gals decided to trek it up to Ipswich and taste some rum. Upon entry, we didn't know if we were in the right place, but we saw a sign for Privateer and walked in. We checked in on Yelp and saw that we could get a free t-shirt! Then we checked in with Chris DeStefano, Director of Tourism and Hospitality at Privateer. He got us checked in and honored the free t-shirt, which was cool. We sat down and then we waited for the tour to start. We tried 3 different kinds of sugar and 2 types of molasses. Then we went on a tour of the distillery, which was quite informative. Afterwards, we tried some rum (I preferred the amber to the white). Earlier in the tour, it was mentioned that gin is produced once a year in May. Remembering this, I asked if Privateer ever did any gin tastings, which resulted in a few of us doing the tour trying some gin that was on hand. And this gin...oh boy. It was delicious. I just became a gin drinker, and I was quite enthralled. So enthralled that I went and bought it down the street at the Ipswich Bottle Shop. Fun tour :) Thanks for having us!! read more

Fabulous! We read about Privateer online and shifted our plans to make the tour time - so glad we did! We lucked out having the incredible Maggie as our tour guide. In addition to presenting a very interesting and informative tour, she also provided a recommendation for the Baldwin Bar as we mentioned that we were tiki fans. In addition to the rums, we also tasted the sugar and molasses that goes into the product to demonstrate the quality of ingredients used. I would absolutely recommend the tour (and the rum) to any connoisseur! read more

This is a world class rum being distilled in nearby Ipswich, MA. Tours and sampling on Saturdays with the nationally well regarded Maggie Campbell. Well worth the trip.. read more

I've been on a couple of brewery tours, rum distillery tours, but none have come close to the Privateer Rum Tour. This place is kinda in the middle of nowhere in Ispwich, in a warehouse, but its worth making the trek. The warehouse smells sweet, yum. If you check in with Yelp, you get a free T-shirt1 The tour is extremely detailed and takes about 90 minutes. At the end of 90 minutes, you will know how rum is made. You will know the ingredients that go into rum. First, our guide started off with the history of Privateer Rum. The owner of Privateer Rum takes pride in making rum of the highest quality with the best ingredients. Its so good, that you can drink it on its own! We tasted the ingredients that are used to make rum (sugar, molasses etc) We tasted the high quality sugar that Privateer uses, and the low quality sugar. You could definitely tell a difference with the molasses, the cheap molasses are just disgusting, the high quality molasses used by Privateer is much better. After tasting the ingredients, we learned how rum was made. It was pretty interesting. The best part is of course, tasting the rum. We tasted the silver rum, which is clear white rum. We also tasted the True American Amber Rum, which has hints of scotch and whisky. It can definitely be drank on its own! We were lucky enough to be able to try the gin. I usually dislike gin but the gin they had was pretty good. They produce gin once a year. We bought a bottle of rum, which was $30+. They also had chocolates filled with their own rum. There are bathrooms, which are quite clean. This is what I would suggest for a trip to Ipswich: 1. Go to Privateer Rum for a tour. You need about 90 min. 2. Go to the 1643 Meadery. You need about 30min. Its a 5 min drive away. 3. Go to Salt Kitchen & Rum Bar. You can enjoy cocktails made with Privateer Rum, as well as get some noms to help you sober up. read more

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Great tour! Friendly staff and great samples. Its completely out of the way to get to but we loved it.

Hello, We had a great time. The tour was fun and informative. The tasting was wonderful. The differences in flavors were subtle but noticeable. My daughter loved the tour and learning about the stills. Oh bought a nice bottle of the Distiller Drawer True American Rum and a bag of the wood. Made dinner added the wood and smoked the daylights out of the chicken and neighborhood. That was also tasty. This is a definite must do. Thanks for a great Saturday Dan Poole read more

This was a great tour- so informative but a lot of fun at the same time. The tasting room is gorgeous, and the distillery room is so clean it is obvious that the owners and employees take pride in their product. It made a great afternoon event. read more

Took a tour yesterday. It's a small, crafted operation with a new beautiful tasting room. The rum is unfiltered and free of colorants so I'd consider it a premium offering. There's a wide variety of tastes and costs, all are excellent. read more

This was cool. It's out of the way, but that meant we could drive through beautiful North Andover for a voyeuristic oggle at the enormous houses. The tour was very interesting and given by the owner, who was good-humored in his explanation of what it takes to make it as a booze entrepreneur. The tasting part was excellent - you could try a large range of their rums and they were all distinct. We came away with a bottle of delicious spirits and a muddler that resembles a police truncheon from their shop. This is worth a visit. read more

Our visit this last Saturday was terrific. Kristina and Kevin gave my family a great tour of the facility with a great back round of the history of rum as well as Privateer. The space is beautiful and the staff is stellar... what more could you ask for? Oh yeah! Tasty rum! read more

Privateer Rum - Beer, Wine & Spirits Near Me - Ipswich, Massachusetts

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It was a wonderful tour, informative and a great atmosphere, their bar is amazing, the whole decor is spectacular... the tasting was good as well... Highly recommend it..worth the trip read more

My family and I had a great tour last Saturday with Kevin as our tour guide. He was extremely knowledgable and personable. He was able to answer any and all questions and really knew the business. We all learned so much about the entire distilling process and then we capped it off with a very informative tasting of a wide variety of spirits. It was a great time and I highly recommend an afternoon spent at Privateer Rum. read more

Three of us stopped in for a tour on Saturday, April 7th, for a fun activity with company that was visiting. I didn't know exactly what to expect as the location is a little bit weird toward the back of an industrial park... but once you're inside, it's a whole 'nother story! Apparently they just (in the last few months) finished an expanded tasting room inside that's your first and last stop on the tour. The tasting bar is made from a very cool half-boat, and they really did a great job on renovations. The tour itself was great, Kristina was extremely attentive and detailed about as much of the process as she could share, including a lot of interesting information on how their proximity to the marsh affects the rum making process. The raw ingredient tasting and rum tasting were both great... both were a great chance to taste a whole number of rums and sugars in comparison to one another, when you don't usually get that chance. They also have a number of other products in their gift section, including different kinds of sugars, special limited-release rums, etc. Unfortunately they were out of gin, but I hear it's coming very soon! Very impressive that the entire operation is only run by a handful of people -- super cool to have them in town and for them to be so open about the process. read more

Amazing tour. Incredible knowledge. I can't remember where I heard about the tour but it is one of the best tours I have been on in terms of imparting knowledge and expanding horizons. One would never expect a little distillery in Ipswich Massachusetts to be producing some of the finest rums in the world. We learned the history of privateering in the early days of our country, the science behind distilling, the varieties of the sugar and molasses products that are used, and how to taste a spirit, like rum, as compared with a glass of wine. Oh yes, and we did get to taste at least 5 of their different rum varieties! We really lucked out that the President of Privateer Rum, Maggie, was our tour guide that day and Kevin was manning the helm at the tasting. Their enthusiasm and knowledge made for a wonderful experience. It's so worth the trip to Ipswich. Many things to do in Ipswich - before or after the tour check out the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, Crane Beach and the Crane Estate or just walk around the charming town of Ipswich. A great spot is the Choate Bridge Pub for a filling lunch after the tour. One of the best Lobster Rolls around. read more

My boyfriend and I took a road trip here over the weekend (in the snow), and thankfully we did because we had a great time! Bob and Kevin tag-teamed our tour and provided us with a lot of information about the history of rum and the distilling process. You get to sample different sugars that go into the rum, as well as several different types of rum. I would definitely recommend taking a trip out to Ipswich to go here! read more

Wonderful tour and delicious tasting! Was very informative. Kristina and Andrew were terrific!

Went last night to a private tour of the Privateer Rum facility. I was a rainy, dark night and the facility was difficult to find, it is not really on Mitchell Road but on a side road off Mitchell in and industrial park. Do not give up, finding it is worth the effort. We had a private tour with the Head Distiller, Maggie and she made the process seem understandable to us novices. The end result is so pure and simple, no additives, no coloring; just pure rum. I really like how they give back to the community. At this event, the total cover charge is donated 100% to a local charity, Merrimack River Feline Rescue was this month's charity. Plus they donate to the local PTA and others. Brings substance to shop local and shop small business. I love businesses that make it a value and goal to give back. Thanks Maggie and crew, we had a great time. read more