Foursquare 2009 12-Year

I wasn't too sure what to expect as I've had the 2007 but not the 2008. The 2009 is very bold, peppery, sweet with caramel nose and flavors and subtle hints of fruit and spices. It goes down VERY warm which I love. There is a commonality among most of their rums yet I can never truly describe them to do them justice. All I can say is if you love rums (and you probably do if you are here reading this) then do yourself a favor and try every Foursquare rum you can find. They're worth it!

Surprised this hasn’t had a full house given to it yet so here is one from me. This is better than the 2007, and as good as the 2008. Different yes, more subtle, less burn and dangerously easy to sip. Richard Seale is a genius 👌

Endnu en god rom fra fra Foursquare. Så det så det.

This rum does not try to do anything unusual or exceptional. But if you are the kind of person who creates a Rum Ratings account, and willing to spend this much on a bottle, it's a safe solid choice for a sipper that will still be complex and strong and subtly sweet over ice. There's a bit of burn at the end, but that's not so bad when you are drinking slow and pondering Deep Rum Thoughts. Explore at leisure.

For those who like Foursquare 2008 do not hesitate and buy if it would still be available.
Very similar profile to 2008 - 60%, 12 years,smell-toffife,orange and raisins.
Taste-a lot of strains of sweet ripe fruits with dominance of cherry.
Strong kick at the end.

So well balanced. Flavor so complext my brain going on overdrive. Smoth and tastfull. Best rum for me. Love it!!

Enjoyable on the palate. Intense at first and then smooths out.

Foursquare and Richard Seale have helped drive the recent resurgence rum has experienced. This bottle is a perfect example of why they've been so successful. To have a product this complex completely free of additives is something special. If you see a bottle, don't hesitate to get one!

More than six months ago, I took my chances on a bottle of this one. I vividly remember getting in heated discussions on here about the very bitter finish. The high tannin content is to blame and adding ice cubes only makes it worse. Needless to say, I never bought another bottle and many are still on the shelf in my neck of the woods. A rare feat for this line of rums that always fly off the shelf.

This rum is the latest in the line of Foursquare Exceptional Cask Series. It is a mix of pot and column still rums tropically aged in Barbados for 12 years in ex-bourbon casks. Foursquare is at the very forefront of the “no additives whatsoever” movement so to no one’s surprise this rum contains, you guessed it, no additives.

As I previously mentioned rums from Foursquare distillery have been all over the map for me. However, the Exceptional Cask Series (ECS) have generally been very much to my liking with Foursquare ECS 2007 being one of my top 3 all time rums and Foursquare 2008, while not reaching those lofty heights, still scoring fairly high (8.5) with me. So how does this latest iteration fare?

On the nose, similar to 2007 and 2008, here I get deep rich milk chocolate and orange - the hallmarks thus far of the ECS rums - and a combination that I really enjoy. However, after that I get an additional raspberry note that I did not get on the 2007 and 2008 versions. This also carries a little more alcohol nostril burn then those rums. But again minimal notes but expressed very strongly and very synchronous.

The palate on this rum is an absolute delight. Taking a sip right away I once again get that deep rich milk chocolate note this time expressed with heavy oak. But here the orange note is expressed so strongly it comes across as orange peel, which I absolutely adore (like any normal weirdo, I love eating orange peel). Yet I also get very a strong note of raspberry and just a hint of grape jelly. The entire presentation plays extremely well and the notes are deep, rich, and lingering. The notes on the palate stay here for ages. What a wonderful experience.

The finish is medium in length and starts with Oak. After a while the Milk Chocolate note returns accompanied by just a hint of Coconut. Nothing over the top but nice and pleasant.

But man, the palate on this rum, it’s really something else. The intensity and synchronicity on the palate here is superb. It reminds me much more of 2007 than 2008 - intense, rich, and comforting with very few flaws. It doesn’t have the eternal “this is rum” note of 2007 but instead has a slightly fruitier character. It is a very, very enjoyable sip. 2007 is very hard to beat to my tastes, but this comes close. This is definitely my second favorite Foursquare rum. Frankly I wish I had gotten a bottle of this instead of the 2008 (I have an unopened bottle of 2008, anyone want to trade lol).

For those newer/newish to rum and coming from the bourbon/whiskey world, this is the perfect marriage of bourbon notes in very high quality rum. While 2007 is the ultimate rum drinker’s rum, this is the perfect bottle to share with your bourbon friends to introduce them to rum.

Short Description: The ultimate bourbon drinker’s introduction to rum. Foursquare ECS 2007 with less “rum” but more fruit.

Nose: Rich Milk Chocolate, Orange, Raspberry, Alcohol

Palate: Rich Milk Chocolate, Oak, Orange Peel, Raspberry, hint of Grape Jelly

Finish: Oak, Milk Chocolate, faint Coconut

ABV 60%

Country of Origin: Barbados

Distillery: Foursquare