Foursquare Port Cask Finish

The Bottle: Very Foursquare. A no-nonsense kind of label that has a wealth of information about the liquid in the bottle. Age, wood types, blend number, bottling date...all fantastic stuff. If a scientist were running a distillery, this is the kind of label that you would expect. Also, a screw top! And I say that as a positive! A rare and welcome change. In the Glass: Bronze. I think that this stuff has gone through very minimal filtration, as there is some haze in the glass and I can see some sediment in the bottle. Minimal filtration is good. Minimal filtration translates to maximized flavor. On the Nose: Delicate, fruit sweetness. There's no brown sugar jackhammer or molasses whip-crack. This has a very pleasant sweetness to it with plethora of tropical fruits as the backbone. No added sugar to this, so what they distilled and aged is what you smell. This is far more subtle than most rums that I come across. Taste: How do I put this the right way... So it's not overly sweet, and a lot of the nose carries over into the flavor. But as an experience, it tastes like what I want a visit to the islands to feel like. Stay with me here, but it tastes like all of things that you want out of a relaxing stay on a tropical beach. A fantastic blend of tropical fruit and well-integrated oak that finishes off with coconut and banana. Ever had banana chips? This has that same kind of finish to it. This is a great rum. Foursquare is well known for their craft approach to their distilled spirits and it really comes across here. Great fruit and oak notes with just the right amount of sweetness. This is not overly processed, sanitized, sweetened or tricked-out. This is what a well-crafted spirit can, and should, taste like. I am highly looking forward to a bottle of the Criterion...

4.5. smooth