Foursquare 2009

Rating: 19/23 N: Mmm! Rich and woody with musty dust and a touch of tobacco. Hints of maple and caramel. Some tartness from the tannins. It's solidly complex with some great hedonism. Maybe a little too much in the tannins department. P: Rich with lots of wood and those tart tannins. Firewood that has only just started burning. Notes of baking spices. Bold caramel. Occasional hints of savory mustard and faint cherry hints. The sweetness and richness with the tart and bitter tannins work really well together. It's could use a little more time to lose some of the bite, but it really doesn't burn that much. F: Sweet and easy with some mellow wood. Not that complex, but nice and relaxed while still being kind of decadent. - Conclusion - This is a great dram. It reminds me of Foursquare Détente (18/23), but bolder and a bit funkier. Also, a bit more tannic. I think that this might be a little better, but it isn't a big improvement. My bottle of Balcones True Blue Cask Strength (a Total Wine pick) (19/23) is funkier and lighter than this, but also more interesting, with an enticing corn sweetness. The two are quite close in quality, though I'm actually leaning in favor of this. I'm going with a 19 or 20 for this. As a double check, this is clearly better than Privateer Navy Yard (17/23), though it isn't blowing it out of the water. Coming back to this, it's pretty bitter and tannic, but it shows some really nice polished wood flavor and hint of chocolate. It's more tannic (astringent) than Foursquare ECS 2007 (18/23), but it's also less hot. I think I prefer this, but not as much as I did previously. The extra polished wood here is nice. I do see a valid comparison in quality with Foursquare Détente. The Détente is definitely more approachable, but this is more mature with decadent polished wood (and also too much tannin). Comparing this again with the True Blue, I'm not finding this to be quite as good. It's somewhere between that and the Foursquare 2007, so an 18 or 19. I'm going with a 19. Thanks to @soonershrink for the sample!

Another exceptional cask series. Beside the Rolling Fork rum from the same distillery, aged similarly in ex-bourbon casks but short 3 years - this is significantly darker. At least 2-3 shades. Nice solid amber. Also is an additional 6% ABV and cost another $25. Was it worth it?? Hotter nose, bigger fruit. Cola, oak, sassafras, raspberry, flan, marzipan, grilled peaches. Different beast for sure. With time there is even a bit of cedar. Honestly the Rolling Fork came across as Doorly’s 12 + rye. This is… different. It honesty reminds me a lot of EH Taylor barrel proof (circa 2016, or something). Wow. That. That was like being punched in the face. With a glove on, not bare knuckle. Nothing is broken, but there is almost a numbing effect. And the finish is still going. Wow. Rewind and try again. Chalky and heavy without being oily. Big cedar and oak, then a whopping amount of minerals, molasses, burnt sugars and grilled tropical fruits. It borders on a bit of kerosene-like hogo but doesn’t quite go there. Oh man, oh man, oh man. You’ll have to excuse me for a minute. I’m buying another 1 or 2 of these. Just fantastic. I thought the Rolling Fork was a win but this is World Series level for me. It’s still finishing. A flash of toasted nuts. A splash of pineapple. A mouthful of caramel cake with powdered sugar frosting a dash of nutmeg. I’m gonna say it and I’m going to regret it but this is my BTAC of rum. Honestly, if George T Stagg and this were infinitely abundant I would trade them one-for-one. This does it for me - it might not for you, but this taught me something.

The last in my mini Foursquare series is their 2009 that aged for 12 years in ex-bourbon casks before being bottled at 60% ABV. The nose is bold and rich starting with caramelized mangoes, butterscotch pudding and high-end leather jacket then a mild vegetal note, dark chocolate covered dehydrated pineapple and toasted macadamia nuts followed by bananas foster, apricot jam and stewed cherries that transitions to ginger, cloves, anise and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting with caramelized mangoes, pineapple juice, butterscotch pudding and high-end leather jacket then a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to a mild leaf mulch, spicy mocha and toasted coconut followed by bananas foster, apricot jam and cherry pie that transitions to ginger, cloves, anise and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with charred pineapple, spicy mocha, fried bananas, banana leaf, candied ginger, leather and polished mahogany. Hell yeah, I seem to prefer my rums aged exclusively in ex-bourbon and bottled at a high proof and this really delivered with a wonderful combination that fuses tropical rum with well-aged bourbon notes to create a bold and rich rum that had some minor flaws in it, but was an absolute treat to drink and finish this little series off with. Thanks @ctbeck11 and @soonershrink for the generous samples.

Bought this based on @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington review. My experience with aged rum is pretty limited - in addition to this, I've tried a private barrel of Privateer, Mount Gay XO, and Smith and Cross. This is clearly better than the MG and S&C (which ended up being a drain pour after coming back to it for over a year - hogoX💯) and more similar in quality to the Privateer. However, the Privateer comes across as hotter despite the proof being essentially the same, I suspect due to the age of the Foursquare versus the Privateer. On the nose I get banana and carmelized brown sugar on pineapple. The palate is full of vanilla and tropical fruit. Drinks more like 50% ABV than 60 - I had to check twice to make sure I wasn't mistaken. in fact, I just looked again before moving on to the next sentence. There's a little hogo here, more so than on the Privateer, but it fits here and gives the spirit more depth and complexity. I like this more than the Privateer. Also, I haven't had the pleasure of trying GT Stagg, so I can't say whether I'd take this over it. Having a bottle of the lesser Stagg Jr, I'd say that the quality and experience is fairly similar, although having limited experience with aged rum means that my palate is likely not as attuned to the nuances of the spirit as it might be for whiskey.

FourSquare has made a name for itself, specifically by targeting rum to whiskey and bourbon drinkers. Normally when you think of rum, artificial sweeteners, overly sweet flavors come to mind. What these guys have done is add layers of complexity over the sweetness. So, in essence, you’re not feeling as if you’re sucking on a sugar cube, just about to cross into a pre-diabetic category. These aren’t the rums you can mix into cocktails. These are rums you have like whiskey….with a smidge of water, or neat. This one here was graciously sent by @ctbeck11. Nose is incredible: crème brûlée, caramel, vanilla. Palette isn’t quite as awe inspiring as the nose. The heat comes through, but adding some water tames it. You get less of the crème brûlée, but now some herbal, woody elements. Plum, raisin, floral notes, balanced by wood. The fruity notes fade out in the finish, you’re left with some heat and oak. This is so close to a 5 star rum for me. Just fell a tad step back on the palette. But, I’m being picky at this point. If you can find this anywhere close to original price, buy on sight. Thanks again @ctbeck11 for the pour!

Nose- Peanut Brittle is the first note I get, then carribean flavors like coconut and musky mangoes Palate- pop of nutmeg spice followed by juicy fruit gum with a bourbony oak backbone. There is also sweet brown sugar and some leatherbook. The rum is rich, and coating. It surpised me with its sting. Nicely done! Finish- the finish is long and warm. I get more of a bourbon/caramel back end, and musty oak barrel. It is long and lingering. A great compliment on a cold Fall/Winter night! Overall- this is superior rum. It is rich, coating, intense, and well crafted. If you like whiskey, this is your transition piece. It gives you both, but not in a disjointed way. My only knock may be that you have to really be into oak and spice to truly appreciate what it brings. I wanted that nuttiness that I got on the nose to be more involved on the taste. Instead it gave way to the oak. It is not a mouthful of sugary sweet tropics. It is a more sophisticated approach to that. At 120 proof it will bite and challenge you. I look forward to see what water might do.