It’s been a while since I got this sample, but I’ve been quite busy over the last couple of months. Most reviews that have appeared on this wee blog have been written ages ago, because that saves a lot of time when writing a post. However, this week I finally got around to trying it, together with two other rum samples I got from Dutch bottler The Duchess (through Best of Wines / Best of Whiskies).

But, back to this one. It’s been bottled for/by The Whisky Exchange who, like many other bottlers, are exploring rum more and more, with whisky becoming more expensive and (if more affordable) worse. This specific bottling from Foursquare Distillery in Barbados has been matured in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks.

A sample was provided by The Whisky Exchange

Sniff:
Very soft for a cask strength like this. Warming, with a bit of heat on the nose. Slightly herbaceous, and grassy. Burnt sugar, some iron, quite gentle.

Sip:
Very much like whisky on the arrival, with vanilla and a lot of oak. Quite dry, burnt caramel, that green, herbaceous note again. Warming with a small hint of chili and copper.

Swallow:
A mellow finish, with more typical rum notes of sugar, wood, molasses. Rather long, with a little dryness and sweetness remaining. Towards the end there’s a hint of matches, in a good way.

I’m not entirely sure whether the sherry cask maturation is something I really enjoy on spirits that are sweeter to begin with. I’ve had it with Bourbon as well, with a Heaven Hill matured in a sherry cask. In this case it, I think, flattens out the spirit a little bit. I’ve noticed quite some similarities with whisky, which I think indicates that the casks are taking over and driving the flavors and scents more than the distillery.

Having said that, it’s still a rather nice drink, and maybe it’s more my unfamiliarity with rum’s different distilleries and characters thereof.

85/100

Foursquare Hereditas 14yo, Barbados, 2520 bottles from bourbon and sherry casks, 56%, The Whisky Exchange, £79.95 at The Whisky Exchange.

A sample was provided, free of charge, by The Whisky Exchange