Foursquare 2010 Exceptional Cask Selection XXI 12-Year

Purchased this and as usual, was not disappointed. Although it's very similar to the 2009, this is still a fantastic rum, always ready to please the pallet. Highly recommend!

This is my first full bottle of Foursquare. I've had the chance to taste a few different Foursquare bottles at tastings, and always rated them super high, but this is the first bottle I get to enjoy at home, and I'm in love. I was beginning to get worried because I recommended Foursquare to a friend and they didn't enjoy the high proof, but man are they wrong. This is one of those special bottles where the proof means more flavor, not more ethanol or bitterness. Strong notes of burnt sugar, very well balanced flavor, no overpowering wood or bitterness that I get from some other aged Barbados rums. Excellent.

Had some fun doing side by side comparisons between Doorly XO, Doorly 12, and R.L. Seale 12. This one blows the other three right out of the water. Unfortunately, I couldn't really do a blind tasting because the proof makes this one obvious, but the flavor is just amazing.

For a 120 proof rum, this is exceptionally smooth. One of the best sipping rums I've tried.

I got lucky and stumbled across this bottle without expecting to find it at a nearby liquor store. Well worth the price! The flavor...Wow! It's just bursting with complex flavor and depth more than any other rum I've tasted. I've been nursing this bottle for quite some time and I hope to find another Foursquare ECS bottle soon.

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,

9,5-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.
9-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.
9,1-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.