A Pirate’s Life examines the rum collections of infamous pirates, reimagining what they would drink in the modern day. A name that has lived on from the Golden Age of Piracy is Henry Every, one of the few brigands in history to escape with his riches and disappear into the annals of time.
Although Every’s pirate career only lasted two years, his story has become legend and it’s likely that he enjoyed a good deal of rum during his travels across the world. So, what kind of grog would he have in his collection?
Two Drifters Black Sails
Like many pirates, Every’s early life is the subject of much debate but it’s generally agreed that he was born near Plymouth in Devon. Dreaming of greatness and a life beyond England, the young Every set out on a journey that would take him far from home and lead to him becoming ‘The King of Pirates.’
To remind himself of how far he’d come, Every would likely keep a bottle of rum that was produced in Devon. I’d see him drinking Two Drifters Black Sails, a rum that’s made in Exeter and reflects Every’s nature as a wayfarer and wanderer of the seas.
The Two Drifters Black Sails is a molasses-based rum that combines the distillery’s White expression with burnt sugar. Full-bodied, treacly and tart, it’s pot-stilled and made with a carbon-neutral approach to promote sustainability.
Don Q 20-Year-Old Reserva
Through his piratical exploits, Every amassed one of the greatest fortunes in history and he’d keep several pricy bottles of rum in his cabinet and bring them out for special occasions.
An example is the extremely sexy Don Q 20-year-old Reserva de la Familia Serralles, which was released in 1994 to celebrate Don Q’s 150th anniversary. This drink was produced through selecting 6 rums from 36 American oak barrels, blending them together and returning them to the barrels to age for a few additional months.
Every would bring this bottle out to commemorate one of the key moments in his life. In 1693, The Arch Pirate joined an expedition to sail to the Spanish West Indies, which culminated in him leading a mutiny against the captain of the Charles II and renaming the ship Fancy.
M&G Rhum Grogue White
Every committed his first act of piracy in Maio, the easternmost of Cape Verde’s Sotavento islands. He robbed three ships crewed by English merchants of their supplies. This means Cape Verde would’ve had something of an important place in Every’s heart and he’d probably have helped himself to some of the local spirit grogue.
His drink of choice would be M&G rhum grogue white, which is made from sugarcane that’s been sourced from Tarrafal village south of Monte Trigo on the island of Santo Antao. According to The Lone Caner, the “cane is crushed within 48 hours of harvesting, and fermentation is open air with natural from wild yeast for 10-15 days.”
The result is a beverage with vegetal and fruity qualities that Every would enjoy sipping neat.
Hercules Deluxe XXX
Every’s raids in the Indian ocean cemented his legacy, especially his ransacking of a 25-ship convoy of Grand Mughal vessels. Leading a squadron of other pirate ships, Every captured an estimated £600,000 in booty, which is the equivalent of £91.9 million by modern standards.
His Indian exploits would have given him an appreciation for Indian rum. A good addition to his collection is Hercules Deluxe XXX, which is produced by the Khoday Group in Bangalore.
This rum has a powerful image to it, capturing the spirit of the legendary Greek demigod who performed 12 impossible labours. It’s the kind of image that Every would’ve cultivated about himself.
Every wasn’t the only pirate who made a fortune. Samuel ‘Black Sam’ Bellamy earned a reputation for becoming the richest pirate in history and you can check out his rum collection here.
The Rum Ration 
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