Foursquare 2010 Exceptional Cask Selection XXI 12-Year

Rich vanilla, spicy fruit, smooth despite high proof

Coconut, cocoa, dark chocolate in aroma; sweeter caramel start, spices (clove and cinnamon) and wood barrel in body; warming barrel tail.

This rum introduced me to high proof spirits, took awhile to get used to the hotness. , Anyway now they are the only spirits I buy. This is a Bourbon drinkers rum. molasses hint, caramel, oak, vanilla, dark fruits, sorta like a Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux Caramelized Crisp Cookie. I liked it so much I went back and bought 3 more bottles. I probably would've given it a 10 but this is my first review,

10-Nose:The aroma delivers notes of vanilla, pineapple, rock fruit, sweet mango, funkiness and ripe bananas front and center. At the midpoint, I found anise, black cherry, and orange zest. As these notes fade, a light note of acetone drifts in along with black pepper and graphite mineral notes.
10-Palate:Like the aroma, the caramelized vanilla leads the way with a warm, dry entry. Fruit and spice notes hit the palate fast, and it takes a little while to decipher everything coming at the palate. I found flavor notes of peach, banana flambe, plums, and grilled pineapple. Spice notes arrive mid-palate, releasing black pepper, cloves, anise, cinnamon, baking spices, and a strong dose of alcohol.
10-Finish: As the flavors fade, the pepper lingers a bit, and the oak tannins really come out to play in a long, warm end.

Strong with lots of flavor. This is the rum I pull out when my whiskey drinking friends come around.

Banana and caramel notes. Good rum but a little expensive. I've had just as good for half the price.

I was a little nervous with the high proof, and there is indeed quite a bit of burn. After the first sip, however, you acclimate and the flavors come out… a bit of sweetness and lots of complexity. I am slowly working my way through the bottle since I believe these are limited production. This is the first ECS (Exceptional Cask Selection) product I have tried from Four Square.

Got to the section on Foursquare in Modern Carribean Rum, so I had to open a new to me Foursquare. Bit hard to get anything on the nose for me due to the ABV. The brown sugar gives way to some complex fruit on the palate. Definitely hot but a bit more on the front end. A bit of oak char is present too. Outstanding

My 1st cask rum at 60% worth the money
Very nice to drink

We were some friends teaming up at Cane Rum Society in Stockholm to celebrate Foursquare Appreciation Day.
We started up with tasting of the four different ones seen at the added photo under lead of our friend the Swedish importer Lars Renbjer.
The third out was the 2010 (ECS XXI), a Single Blended Rum at cask strength (60%) consisting of pot still as well as column still rums aged in ex-Bourbon American oak casks.
The nose is initially filled with lots of vanilla and caramel thereafter it’s possible to recognize fruits as mango, pineapple and bananas together with hints of acetone and pepper.
At the palate it’s dry, soft and fruity. The pineapple, mango and pepper from the nose are still present, but also peach and cinnamon is recognizable.
The long finish is dry, peppery and oaky.
Overall a rather soft rum, despite the 60%, which can’t disappoint anyone that likes Barbados rum.
Picture: The four Foursquares included at the tasting at Cane Rum Society in Stockholm.