It was always his thick, long and black beard that gave him his terrifying look. Teach understood the value of appearances and stroke enouhg fear in an opposing crew so they often simply surrendered.

He was in fact very successful. Together with the crew of Benjamin Hornigold he catured and commanded the 40-gun Queen Anne’s Revenge.

Operating around the West Indies andsoutheastern U.S. states he become the most famous pirate captain of all time.

Tasting notes

92/100 points
*****
whiskyfun.com
I had thought the golden age of piracy was right today, just ask Bezos, Sundar or Jack Ma… Anyway! Colour: amber. Nose: oh, mashed potatoes with black truffles and olive oil! Then eggplants and smoky coffee, engine grease, candy sugar, a little corn syrup, caramelised onions… With water: tight and green. Someone’s smoked Brussels sprouts and called that ‘rum’. A curious maltiness and more mashed potatoes. And more truffles. Mouth (neat): smashing, bone-dry and ultra-tight, almost Ardbeggian. Sublime smoky coastalness. Terrrrrific. With water: oh wow. Millimetric and vertical, petroly, tarry, wonderful. Finish: long, tarry and rubbery. No escape. Comments: perfect in the tarry style. I think we’ve already mentioned middle-aged Port Ellen, have we not?
whiskyfun.com

90/100 points whiskynotes.be

The most famous female pirate, as renowned for her ruthlessness as for gender. Seeking adventure from the early years, she become an equal crew member and a respected pirate.

New Providence, the Republic of Pirates, become her place to be and this is where she met “Calico Jack” Rackham. She joined him and continued the pirate life, taking part in combat alongside the men, eventually to be named in “Wanted Pirates” by the Governor of the Bahamas.

Tasting notes

91/100 ᴘᴏɪɴᴛs
Whisky Digest

In terms of marketing, we’re usually annoyed by the allegory of pirates and rum, because, as in the case of Captain Morgan, it usually refers to a cheap, adulterated spirit. Not at all in this case. This brew really puts you in that atmosphere and proves once again why Guyana/Demerara rum (in our eyes) is the king of the rum world.

89/100 ᴘᴏɪɴᴛs
WhiskyNotes.be

He earned the nickname “Calico Jack” because of his taste for clothes made of brightly colored Indian Calico cloth. While he made a career of plundering small vessels, he is most remembered for having two female crew members Mary Read and his lover, Anne Bonny.

Rackham is also credited with designing the skull and crossed swords – sometimes swapped for crossed bones – that became famous as iconic Jolly Roger pirate flag.

One of the most skillful pirate captains, with excellent navigational and ship combat skills. He captured ship after ship, building a pirate armada and renaming each ship “The Ranger”.

He is also infinfamously known for refusing the King’s Pardon and instead firing his cannons at the ship of Gouernor Woodes Rogers in the Bahamas. Vane met Blackbeard in 1718 and the two pirate crews held a week-long party at what was the largest pirate gathering ever to occur in North American waters.

93/100 points zuckerundzeste.de

Operating for just one year from 1716 to 1717, Black Sam Bellamy became the wealthiest pirate ever. He captured 53 ships and plundered $140 million worth of treasure, which he divided generously among his crew.

Bellamy’s pirates called him “The Robin Hood of the Seas”. The wreckage of his ship “Whydah”, along with valuables stolen from other 53 ships were discovered in 1982 off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass.

85/100 points zuckerundzeste.de

As the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas, which in 1718 was home to around 2000 pirates, Rogers’ main task was to get rid of them. He granted the King’s Pardon to all the pirates who would immediately stop their activities, yet there were a few, like Charles Vane, who never accepted it. Rogers even recruited ex-pirates, like Benjamin Hornigold, to use their insights and intelligence to chase down the stubborn ones.

92/100 points zuckerundzeste.de

Named the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy, Bartholomew Roberts ruled the high seas of Americas and the West African coast between 1719 and 1722. Taking over 400 vessels, the Welsh pirate earned a nickname Black Bart, or Barti Ddu [Welsh], if you will. Roberts, along with formidable pirate, Henry Morgan, is recognized a pioneer of the Pirate Code and the creator of an early version of the skull and crossbones flag. Despite his perceived invulnerability, Roberts met his end in maritime confrontation in 1722 by a wound to the throat. Many believe tat his death marked the initial decline of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Tasting notes

85/100 points
*****
whiskynotes.be
Nose: slightly sharp, on herbal oil, hints of eucalyptus and rosemary. Citrus notes – first lemons, later oranges. Then a hint of green olives, some wood varnish and a little sunflower oil. Leather. Not very expressive. Water makes it rounder and brings out a floral touch.
Mouth: still a lot of varnished notes, although there is nice vanilla and a little fruit syrup to round it off. Liquorice, pepper, orange peels and hints of leather. Some freshly sawn oak too, bringing it close to the linearity of grain whisky at times. Getting creamy later on, but overall still pretty narrow.
Finish: long, with oaky notes, leather and faint sugary notes, but also a lightly bitter herbal note.
If anything the simplicity sets this TDL apart. It certainly has nice elements but I expected more fireworks from such an old one. I’ve had issues with TDL’s firm woody footprint, and this one reminds me of that. Available from Distilia. Score: 85/100

Captain Benhamin Hornigold, an English pirate, was born in the mid-17th century and began his pirating career toward the tail end of the Golden Age of Piracy. He is best known for commanding the heavily armed ship, the Ranger, operating mainly in the West Indies. Interestingly, Hornigold was an ally and mentor to the notorious Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard. In a surprising twist of fate, Hornigold accepted a King’s Pardon in late 1718, subsequently becoming a pirate hunter. Under the commission of another former pirate, Woodes Rogers, he chased down those who were once his comrades. Unfortunately, Hornigold’s life came to an abrupt end in 1719 when his ship was wrecked on a reef near New Spain.

Edward ‘Ned’ Low, an English pirate born into poverty, was active during the final days of the Golden Age of Piracy. Low, a native of Westminster, was known as a pickpocket and gambler from an early age. His life took a drastic turn when he lost his wife in childbirth, an event that led him to adopt a life of piracy. Renowned as one of the most brutal pirates of his era, Low and his crew terrorized vessels off the coats of New England, the Azores and the Caribbean. Notorious for his cruelty, Low often violently tortured his captives before killing them. His death remains veiled in mystery, with the date and circumstanced being subjects of ongoing speculation.