Foursquare Port Cask Finish...

Foursquare Port Cask Finish (40.0%): I am back from our Central and Northern California trip with a lot of bottles, photographs and notes but it will take a little more time to sort them out, taste the samples and start to scribble the posts... So I will continue today exactly from where I left: Another member of Foursquare Distillery's Exceptional Cask Selection series. The rum in the bottle is nine years old and spent the first three years in ex-bourbon casks before it got transferred to port casks for another six years. It is bottled in June 2014... I'm not quite sure why they called it a "Port Cask Finish" though since the rum spent twice more time in port casks then it did in ex-bourbon casks. It is more like a double maturation.

Color: Deep amber... Dark and almost reddish shade of orange.

Nose: This is exactly what a rum should nose like: Vanilla, wet tobacco, new leather and sweet molasses. If you let it sit in the glass and allow it to air port cask aromas find their way out: Cranberry jam, cherry liquor and unsweetened grape juice. Some smoke... Like burnt caramel or torching the sugar when giving the final touches of a Creme Brulee.

Palate: A little thin on texture but the spirit balances with some good oiliness... Brown sugar, nutmeg and ground cloves. Lightly toasted wood, dried sour cherries and ruby port. Candied orange peels, baby bananas and crystallized ginger pieces. In spite of all these sweet notes the rum is very dry in general.

Finish: On the shorter side with red pepper flakes, orange zest and toasted wood notes lingering.

Overall: It's a little unfortunate that I tasted this rum after their exceptional 11yo Single Blended expression. Otherwise I would be raving about it now... It is an incredibly well balanced, very easy to drink and damn tasty rum. For my two cents it balances what it lacks on texture with its incredibly reasonable price tag. Yes, I would love to have it at a higher abv but this bottle is definitely a no brainer for $35... Perfect one to keep at home to be your every day rum and would also go amazingly well with various cocktails. But again if you are looking for more character and depth and if you feel ok to spend a little more you definitely should get a bottle of their 11yo Single Blended Rum before it's too late to find one on the shelves.

Price: $35

87/100