Foursquare Détente

Rating: 18/23 N: After several minutes of aeration, I get vanilla, caramel, banana (maybe a hint of orange and pineapple too), musty/dusty wood, spices. It's very nice and much more mature than when I initially poured it. I wouldn't call it a super complex nose, but it's very rich and enticing, though perhaps a little on the sweet side. P: It burns, but it's sweet with a big fullness and richness. Some char that doesn't quite make it into the fireworks range. The wood is there and it has some a nice gesture in the musty/dusty direction that integrates well with the char and leads nicely into the vanilla. The caramel fills out the sweetness, but it ends up perhaps a bit too sweet. I get less banana than I'd feared, with more orange peel and a little pineapple instead. Something kind of dry and tannic, approaching leather a little at points. I'm having trouble identifying the particular spices, but there must be at least a little clove. Not the most complex palate, but there's a decent amount going on and it's absolutely packed with flavor. I wish it burned less though. Water really helps to tame that burn, while also bringing out more toasty flavors that border on nutty and highlighting the time in the barrel. I also get some actual fireworks and hogo. This is actually a fair bit better with a splash of water, so I'm a bit surprised by the chosen proof. That said, a bit too high is far far better than a bit too low when it comes to proof. F: Kind of numb from the burn. There's some bitterness here too. Faint sweetness lingers still, but it dryness with some astringency and the bitterness overpower it. - Conclusion - This is a great rum. It isn't blowing my mind, but it's a very enjoyable sipper that isn't super expensive. I did prefer the Foursquare Premise though and it was a fair bit cheaper when I got my hands on it. If this were a bourbon, I'd guess that it was a mix of ones in the 4 to 10 year range poured from the neck. With some air, the youthfulness falls back substantially. OK, after much consideration and comparison, I've found this to be a lovely rum. I'm thinking it's in the 18 to 19 range. I did consider a 17 for a bit, but I think this is better than that. I'm going with 18.

Been riding the bourbon train lately and was looking for a change of pace. Last summer, after several community recommendations, I started getting into sipping rums (because I needed more booze) and fell in love with the Doorley’s 12 year rum from the Foursquare distillery. Lovely, brown sugar butter notes, it it was a bit thin at 40%. Fortunately, the folks at Foursquare have an Exceptional Cask Series (similar to special annual or semi-annual whiskey releases like Bookers or Ardbeg). These are rums that are well aged, non chill filtered, no dosing, and are aged in a combination of casks reminiscent of ye olde rum trade such as bourbon, sherry, port, Madeira, etc. This release, Detante, is aged ten years and is a blend of rums aged in bourbon and port casks. The nose is redolent of brown sugar, butter, figs, raisins, and strawberry jam. The port influence carries on to the palate with strong oak and vanilla flavors wrapped in a velvety port blanket. The taste betrays the proof at 51% until the finish where there’s a bit of a swell from said proof followed by a long, fruity, simmering finish. This is what Angels Envy or Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban wished they tasted like. This is the best port cask ageing I’ve tried. High marks for this one. It’s a special release from August 2020, but I found it gathering dust on a back shelf in Total Wine. There might be a bottle near you still, and with the weather warming up, you might want a detour from your regular whiskey-based programming like I did. Cheers!

Nose - citrusy molasses, strawberry, grass, salted caramel, pineapple, grape, cherry, floral notes, raspberry, pink lemonade, allspice, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - grassy molasses, strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, white pepper, lemon pith, orange zest, clove, allspice, mint, caramel, cola, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with sweet molasses, jammy red fruit, and citrus flavors. Here we have the port-finished counterpart to the sherried Premise release. Both are 10 Year products, with Detente being bottled at a slightly higher 51% ABV. The port influence is front and center. The standard bittersweet Foursquare molasses note is present, but jammy red fruits dominate the nose and palate on this one. Strawberry, raspberry, cherry, even some pink lemonade are easily identifiable. Overall this is delicious rum, but as with Premise, it’s not my favorite Foursquare profile. It’s sweeter than their more traditional offerings, but certainly not cloying like the additive-laced rums can be. At $75 a bottle, I think this is a solid value. However, I’ll continue to reserve my money for the older, strictly ex-bourbon releases, as they’re generally more my speed. Another big thank you to @ContemplativeFox for the generous sample!

Like the Sagacity, it’s quite spicy, I liked it better with a little water, which brings out a much sweeter side. Rich, oily and jammy, with berries, oak, baking spices, vanilla, caramel and tropical fruits. Also very balanced. Would love to have a full bottle. Both this and the Sagacity are excellent. I give this a slight nod. Thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the sample.

Smells sour, probably the port cask. Behind all that I can sense brown sugar notes. Also the taste feels a little bit on the sour (dry?) and bit of bitter side. Then it transforms into long fruity finish. Definitely one of the most complex and enjoyable rums I had tasted to this date.

Kinda cherry, really sweet full flavor really hits you, has a mild oak or woody flavor from ageing. This is really exceptionally made. Has a hint of Carmel too it maybe from the sugar sweetness. But hands down a great time to enjoy this with friends 💜