Foursquare 2009

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.

This is my fourth ever Foursquare bottle (after Détente, Indelible, and RL Seale), and I gotta say… these annual releases truly are something special. I did not think sipping rums could get much better than Détente, but this one is an absolute wrecking ball. Nose: spicy and woody up front, fading into some tropical fruits. Palate: Spicy and fruity up front, quickly turning into caramel and toffee, then finishing with some nice wood and tropical notes. Mouth-coating and viscous, with a medium finish. At 120 proof it most definitely delivers a Kentu — er… Barbados Hug. This is a must buy if you find it at a reasonable price (i.e., ~ $89-$99).

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!

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.

Perfect balancing of sweet, spice, and smooth.

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!