Foursquare 2004 11-Year

Mark 3 of the exceptional cask series from Foursquare: blend of pot and column stills aged 11years in Bourbon casks, bottled unsweetened at 59% (!)

Standard Doorly's bottle with screw cap.
Colour: golden
Nose: subtle dried bananas and raisins but nose-tickling alcohol
Mouth: oh my - initial bouquet of dried fruit blends into restrained smoky/woody notes as the alcohol puts a sunrise in your mouth
Burn: slow, intense, sustained. It's BIG but not sharp with a spiritey finish.

In summary: one for when the mood is right. I prefer the port and Zinfandel finishes, which are more accessible but this has serious class.

59% ABV will put hair on your chest, make no mistake. This rum is astringent and slightly medicinal on the nose, but it also has some sweet, dried fruit. The taste is perhaps more dried fruit and spices, but it's really hard to tell because of the intensity. And that may be the main shortcoming of this rum. It's just too concentrated. There is no subtle nuance here whatsoever, just brute force--and alcohol burn. I'm glad I tried it, and I may try other Full Proof rums from Foursquare in the future, but I won't be buying this particular one again. I don't dislike it; I just don't love it the way I love other Foursquare rums.

A bit too much bite for me. Not bad but place others much higher on my list.

nose -- oaky, creamy, vanilla, medicinal; after adding water, leather

palate -- need to add quite a bit of water to cut down the alcohol bite. candy sweetness, a hint of oak. dry wood bitterness in the after taste.

This comes highly recommended by a lot of enthusiasts, so I was looking forward to trying it. I didn't notice the ABV on the label, however, and find the burn of the over-proof strength (59% ABV) was a bit much for me.

Poured neat, it has a nice aroma of apples and honey with a hint of licorice. On the first sip, the strength hits your tongue with a lot of flavor, but a bit of burn. It leaves behind the flavors of the bourbon and oak, with that hint of licorice. It's better on ice, where you can pick up a bit more oak and honey.

If you like over-proofs, this is a good one, but if you tend to like sweeter or smoother rums, you may want to wait before jumping in.

59 full proof!! This is rum as it is ment to be. It is very complex. Both the flavour and the nose. I love sweet and "mainstream" rum. But this is something else. Back to basics so to speak. Fantastic!!!

Strong on toasted oak. Solid body. Dry, a bit spicy. A good rum for whisky drinkers. Otherwise, meh.

I finally got my hands on a bottle of this highly praised rum with no additives. Since it is cask strength at 118 proof, sipping neat will only burn your mouth along with obliterating the flavors. Adding about a teaspoon of spring water to the snifter toned down the burn and brought out some flavors. Unfortunately, this was the bitter oak after taste in addition to caramel and vanilla. These flavors can be found on almost any rum. Adding still another teaspoon of spring water to the snifter basically brought out no more flavors while completely eliminating the burn and having it almost taste like a very good mixer.

After three different trials, my conclusion was "What's the point?" There are so many other dry rums with similar flavors, no burn, and cheaper pricing. At $66 for one bottle with a very, very cheap screw cap, you are paying for the name. I won't rave about it based upon my own foolish expense. Hey, I just had to try and it won't go to waste.

After sampling two small snifters of my new Foursquare, I found myself reaching for my bottle of Don Q 2005 Single Barrel, which blows this one away for a little more than half the price. I also compared Kirk & Sweeney 18 to both. After the other two just tested, the K&S 18 does taste better than this Foursquare, but it is also not 100% dry with 4 gpl of added sugar instead of 0 gpl of added sugar like the Don Q and Foursquare. Stick with Don Q 2005 Single Barrel for 100% dry over this Foursquare 2004 Single Blend. If you don't mind a very tiny bit of added sugar, then go for the K&S 18.

After note November 5, 2018: Since this one has few flavors and no hangover penalty, it only qualifies as one very expensive drunk. With that in mind, one could buy at least 7 bottles of Cruzan Gold that all have more flavor than this one as well as have no hangover penalty.

I bought this at the same time as El Dorado 15 year, which was far superior.

This overproof rum is too strident for my taste. I prefer smoothness. It is better with an ice cube but still not great.

Also, screw cap instead of cork takes away from the experience.