Foursquare 2004

Bourbon and banana nose. Oak heavy with spice and molasses. Dry oak finish.

Very woody, perhaps even aggressively so. Remarkably though, the alcohol flavor is not overwhelming. There are some pleasant citrus notes in here that balance the alcohol flavor. Cinnamon is clearly present. There are some prune notes mixed in with some lighter fruit and even some caramel. It's pretty good and some depth appears, but I'm not sure that it is better than Ron Diplomatico, which costs half as much, so why buy this? Ron Diplomatico its sweetness with wood as well, so this could have been better had it reduced it's sweetness and includes wood rather than just amping up the wood (and smoke). On the other hand, the fact the Ron Diplomatico's strong wood is weighted toward the finish is a problem because it persists for so long. Overall though, the quality of these two is about balanced. It smells like fireworks with a hint of spice and caramel. The palate is drying yet complex with a nice balanced sweetness. There's something strongly bitter across the center that is a bit much, but it's otherwise nicely flavored. I might like a bit less sweetness, but it's a solid standard rum. Beyond the fireworks and rye bitterness, there are butterscotch and cane sugar notes mixed with quite a bit of spice featuring pepper. The rye flavor is clearly herbal, but there is a nice crisp fruit note hiding in there - apples perhaps. This is quite drinkable at cask strength, though not terribly enjoyable. It tastes very burnt, which might be suggesting cocoa powder. The level of sweetness is actually OK, but it would be better without the cane sugar notes. The finish is a bit too herbal. Watered down, the fireworks are quite present. The character doesn't change a ton, but there's a little more of a dark corn syrup quality. Disappointingly, the complexity is reduced with water. I don't get what complexity everyone says they're seeing. It's decently complex, but it's also just kind of a standard smoky rum. At least the herbal flavors due down a bit with added water. I could totally sip this and I would be rather nonplussed. Watered down, there is a bit too much alcohol and mineral. It's not super exciting.