Foursquare 2010 Detente 10-Year

Massive thanks to Rhum Attitude for providing a proper rum tasting during global lockdown. Started with Foursquare 10y Detente. Nice bottle and label design. Bright golden color. Strong oakiness mixed with tropical fruits. A tad hot ending at 102 Proof but in general a very solid Foursquare.

Foursquare produces a nice product. To me they are all about equal. Without the addition of anything they make a smooth & mostly sweet rum. To me they always lack a nice aroma and taste a little more harsh that what I’d prefer. However their rum always tastes clean and light. Overall I would say this is on par from what you’d expect from Foursquare. Very good, not great.

Barbados. 10 years in ex-bourbon and ex-port casks. 51%. This is probably my favorite thus far. Not sure that my palate is sophisticated enough pick up the port influence, but this is really tasty.

Qualität: 9
PLV: 8
Summe: 8+
War mein erster Foursquare, mit Sicherheit nicht der Letzte.

Better than 2008 Single blend, but worse than Sagacity.

Aroma příjemne jemně ovocné. Chuť perfektní, je cítit vyšší voltaz v chuti ovoce, drevitost. Závěr dlouhý, intenzivní.

In the nose I smell brown sugar and oaky tones.
Taste is heavy a instense. There are hints of wood , caramel bound with hints of smoke.
Extremely long bittersweet aftertaste.

Ďalší z radu Foursquare, priamo porovnávaný s Port Caskom. Pre mňa naozaj pekná nasladlost, percenta alkoholu na FQ nižšie, ovocie, jemne drevo. Pekne pitie na celý večer i keď pre mňa sa neradiedzi top v rade FQ

Nose: Port Wine, Nutmeg, Walnuts, Oranges, Dark Grapes, Banana, Acetone, Allspice, Caramel
Palate: Bourbon, Port Wine, Oak, Macadamia Nuts, Vanilla, Honey, Sour Cherry
Aftertaste: Oak, Nutmeg, Allspice, Port Wine

This is a very solid offering from Foursquare. Very bourbon, Port, and Nut profile heavy. I think I wanted it to be more impressive than it is, although it is still a very fine dram. With all due respect to Paul, and perhaps we have different sensory experiences, I think its drawbacks for me, is that it is a little too bourbon heavy for my tastes. I love rum and I love port, so I assumed that this rum would probably be an all-time top 3 for me and therefore I over-estimated it. I think most people will love it, especially bourbon drinkers, as it is very bourbon heavy, but it just doesn't reach the highest level for me. That said it is definitely a very high quality rum, without question and had they let it age a little longer in the Port Casks and a little less in the Bourbon casks, I think it would have hit that highest level for me. But enough about my preferences. Heres is the breakdown:

The nose is absolutely delightful, and if I was judging on the nose alone this would be a 10/10. The nose is very complex starting with Port, Nutmeg, Walnuts, and Oranges on top with underlying notes of Dark Grapes, Bananas, Allspice, and Caramel. There is also just a slight note like acetone in there as well. All in all a pretty damn impressive nose which led me to believe this was going to be an all timer. Unfortunately, the palate lets me down a little as it goes too bourbon heavy. On the palate you get a heavy, heavy dose of bourbon, and aged oak, with a dose of Macadamia nuts. There are lighter notes of Vanilla, Honey, and Port playing in the background morphing into sour cherry leading up to the finish. The finish itself though is yet more bourbon and oak with lighter essences of Nutmeg, Allspice, and hints of Port. Water does indeed open up this rum and brings out its nuttier notes which improves the longevity of the experience.

I really wish the Port, Nutmeg, Walnut, and Orange notes that were promised on the nose were more present on the palate but bourbon drinkers will undoubtedly be quite pleased with this offering. This rum has extraordinary promise on the nose, but just doesn't quite back it up no the palate like some other Foursquare products do. Adding a good amount water will open up the Walnut and Macadamia nut aspects of this rum, so if that's what you like that just keep that in mind. Its just that at $65 this is about on the same level experience-wise as Doorly's 12 year (although with a different profile) and that rum can be had for $25 from the same distillery and under the same standards. Overall this is a very, very good rum make no mistake about that...but its just not next level like the 2007 ECS is and what I had hoped for. This is an 7.5 for me but not quite a round up to 8.

Nose: 9
Palate: 8
Aftertaste: 7
Smoothness: 8
Versatility: 8
Price: 5

Total: 7.5

Oodles of tropical fruit. This was $70 in northern kentucky where I found it, but this is very much worth the price. I can’t wait to experience other foursquare rums.