Thanks to a hugely charismatic profile, a high level of quality, and perhaps the attention of enthusiastic critics like Fred Minnick and... well, me, Foursquare Distillery in the southeast of Barbados is probably the hottest name in rum right now. The Exceptional Cask Series is practically legend at this point, and even their entry-level stuff like Doorly's represents some of the best values in aged rum (see, e.g., • Barbados Versus Jamaica at $30: Appleton 8... ). And they're small, and independent! If I haven't done a lot of videos about Foursquare recently, it's mainly because after a brutal double session lasting nearly two hours ( • Death By Foursquare, Part I: ECS 2008 v. 2... and • Death By Foursquare, Part II: 2008 v. Mast... ) I haven't had much more to say. But that was nearly two years ago, so I should take the time to catch up on what Richard Seale and company once again.
So what are we doing today? Are we doing the Isonomy, or the Touchstone? The awesome Foursquare LFT? Oh I'd totally review the LFT if I could get a bottle - that's the one to point to when the haters accuse all Foursquares of being the same thing. But no, instead of goosing my view count with all the new hotness I'm going back to a couple of unusual and very latinate "Official Velier" bottlings that came out a few years ago. Stats:
Foursquare Patrimonio Single Blended Rum (OB/Velier, 2004-2019; column and pot still aged partly in all ex-bourbon, partly 10 years ex-bourbon plus 4 years ex-sherry; 6000 bottles, 58% ABV), 89/100
Foursquare Plenipotenziario Single Blended Rum (OB/Velier, 2007 to Oct. 2019, 12yo; "heavy & light" column and pot still aged in ex-bourbon; 6000 bottles, 60% ABV), 90+/100
These bottlings feature two things of note, and indeed two things I find interesting in Foursquares. The Patrimonio features a bit of sherry influence - it just happens to be very subtle in this case, and what you end up with is mostly just good clean pre-2007 Foursquare. It's good, but I wouldn't take it over the Total Wine Master Series or the Sovereignty (or even just one of the vintage bottlings). The Plenipotenziario is a different beast, although it looks like the standard Foursquare stats - pot and column blend, twelve years in ex-bourbon casks - until you read the fine print. The special sauce here is that some of the column stuff going in is heavier distillate, obtained through lower rectification and no heads/tails cuts. Think of the grungier side of what Cuba can do, or even (gulp) of Caroni. The result is a Foursquare with a somewhat meatier, more industrial, more tire-firey kind of side, and I'm here for it. Checking after the fact, Plenipotenziario actually ties that Master Series 1 as my current favorite Foursquare; I shudder to think of what it now has to be going for on secondary, but if you've got the stacks and you love a little grunge then it may be worth grabbing for the singularity of the profile.
Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon ( / differentspirits ) -
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