Foursquare 2005 Isonomy 17-Year

Rather than dissect individual aspects of this finest of Bajan rum I’ll simply post an overall impression. Having purchased many of the ECS this Isonomy is by a substantial margin my favorite. Appealing dark appearance. Rich, deep and complex nose.

The palate extends the complexity with deep pit fruits caramel, butter creme and spices. Just the hints of menthol and orange, but oh so well balanced. Not heavy cinnamon like some in the series display. The mouth feel is liquid velvet. Excellent long finish.

It is at a higher price point than many, but this Isonomy rum is one of a few high dollar spirits I can state shows good value for money. Highest recommendation, don’t leave on the store shelf if you are lucky to see it.

It is now June of 2023 and my favorable impression of Isonomy has only increased. I have been lucky to find another bottle, and it is still ‘All That’ and more. I have done Isonomy in a side by side with a Chairman’s reserve 21 yo St Lucia, a Black Tot 2021 Reserve- along with a SelvaRey which at 80 proof is delicious but just not carrying the weight of the others. The Black Tot is quite good but outmatched by the other two. Between the Isonomy and the St Lucian rum they are both so excellent but also wildly different. Both get a straight up 10 from me.

Cheers

Beats out Detente as one of my favorite easy to drink Foursquare rum. This rum has eluded me for months trying to purchase it without luck. Finally sampled it at Foursquare distillery today and it is the holy grail. Was told it’s long gone none to be had, but luck would have it they found a few cases before I left locked I. A store room and I will be the proud owner of a few bottles tomorrow morning.

How do Foursquare do it? This is bold (but not too bold), sweet, complex, tasting of chocolate, pine, leather, caramel, vanilla, oak, tobacco, dried fruit with a fantastic finish. £85 seems great `VFM for a 17 year old expression, but i’ll happily take it!

caramel, chocolate, leather, oak, dried fruits, spices, and more, with a smooth mouthfeel and a long, satisfying finish

I had read so much about this ECS release that my expectations were quite high and I feared being disappointed. Well on the nose this is the best smelling rum I have ever encountered. Sampling the Isonomy elevates my admiration for Richard Seale, this is the best Foursquare rum I have tasted, definitely my favourite so far. WOW, Isonomy all the way.

Udgivet i Januar 2022.

Minder meget om mange af de andre aftapninger fra Foursquare. Den er lidt skarp i eftersmagen, hvor den bider godt på tungen.

I'm not very good at describing flavour profiles, but this rum is incredible. There is so much going on it's difficult to pinpoint the nuances, but you are aware that your senses are being provoked in good way.

The flavours blend together almost seamlessly, none overpowering, all working together. It rewards, almost demands, paying attention. It feels like like you need to be in the driver's seat rather than a passenger seat, if that makes sense.

My favourite rum to date has been Santa Teresa 1796. I can sit back with a glass of that and enjoy a conversation, some music or a film. Maybe it's because I've only had one taste of Foursquare Isonomy so far and I'll become more relaxed in its company after more tastings, but my first impression has been mesmerising.

This feels like a pure expression of rum and I'm already scouring the internet to try and find another bottle.

Considering a review which says this is whiskey labelled as rum, I don't see that myself. I'm not disparaging the other reviewer at all; we all have our own tastes.

For context, I have an aversion to all kinds of whisky, bourbon, etc. I've tried many times to overcome this aversion and have tried many different whiskeys. Friends have given me tasters of their favourite premium whiskey "because you probably haven't tasted a decent single malt yet" and so on. Yet I still don't like whiskey and I struggle with rums with strong whiskey/bourbon notes. This isn't one of them, to my palate at least.

I find that El Dorado 15 year old has a pronounced touch of boubon notes and so does Doorly's 12 year old, though to a lesser extent. In both cases, they have enough other attributes that the bourbon note is not too distracting. I just don't get an overpowering whiskey/bourbon note from Foursquare Isonomy. It's certainly there, mostly in the finish, but it wasn't something I even picked up on when first tasting.

Vanilla, coconut, touch of thinner, molases and cask barrel in aroma; raisins, vanilla, spices and wood in body; decent warming barrel tail.

Enjoyed at the tasting room at the distillery in Barbados on February 15th, 2024.

Nose: Leather, dried cherries and oak balanced with the alcohol
Palate/Taste: Berries, chocolate and caramel
Finish: Longish but balanced with oak, chocolate and cherries

Silver Medal 92 points FourSquare rare rum superb taste. Two bottles