Foursquare 2006 Redoutable 14-Year

This rum is tropically aged Pot and Column blend aged for 14 year in ex-bourbon and ex-Madeira casks. Per Richard Seele’s directives it contains no additives whatsoever…blah, blah, blah. I am pretty sure y’all know about Foursquare and what they do.

After resting for 15 minutes, taking a whiff from the Glencairn brings a rich fruitiness, though not of the Jamaican sort, nor of the Cuban variety for that matter. I get an almost overwhelming nostril tingling wave of chocolate cherry bonbons followed by fresh red apple slices, and mangoes. Behind that is acetone along with a very faint hint of coconut. It’s fruity but hard to put into specifics.

The palate on the other hand truly is a tale of two stories: with and without dilution.

Straight I get a powerful classic rum note front and center followed by “chewing on a cigar” accompanied by sugar in the raw. Encompassing those notes is deep, overpowering oak. In the background I get allspice, cracked black pepper, and black cardamom pods (the black smoky kind you find in homemade Indian dishes)

But that is only the tip of the iceberg as I came to find out, and not the droids I was looking for. You see the more water I add, the richer and more vibrant the palate becomes. It’s almost like in its “pure” form the rum is masking its true personality. With the copious addition of water, tropical fruits starting bursting through the cracks in the facade. With water I get deep rich maple syrup with Guava paste like that found in Cuban pastelitos and rich juicy pineapple like if you just bit into a perfectly ripe oversized chunk. It’s incredibly rich and you would never know if you didn’t drown this rum in water first.

The finish is endless on this rum and remains the same with or without water. The finish starts with deep oak, cigar tobacco, and chocolate cherry bonbons. Then it morphs into mineral spirits and menthol in the throat. After setting the glass down for a while I get unmistakeable Guava that lingers for days.

This is an odd rum, which is a strange thing to say about a Bajan I feel. Taken straight it has some fascinating notes (black cardamom?) but it is way too overwhelmingly dominated by oak. So much so that I compare it to sucking on a charred barrel board that once held rum.

However, add copious amounts of water to this rum and watch it absolutely explode into magnificence in a very unexpected way. It goes from way over oaked to tropical fruit packed bombshell in short order. The extent of the transformation almost difficult to comprehend. Drink this rum straight and you are truly missing out. Straight it’s nothing to write home about; with water this does indeed become an all time Bajan favorite

Short Description: a tropical fruit bomb deftly concealed within oak extract. Just add water! (exclaimed in a 80s TV ad voice)

Nose: (very fruity), chocolate cherry bonbons (strong), fresh apple slices, mango, acetone, very faint coconut (with water, chocolate note becomes very present along with long aged scotch)

Palate: powerful classic rum note, tobacco (strong), sugar in the raw, oak (strong), allspice, cracked black pepper, black cardamom pods,
(With water much, much brighter), maple syrup, guava (strong), pineapple

Finish: long, deep oak, cigar tobacco, chocolate cherry bonbons, mineral spirits, menthol in the throat, long after guava

ABV 61%

Country of Origin: Barbados

Distillery: Foursquare

Final Rating: (diluted) *9*, (straight) *7*

Dnes jsem měl možnost ochutnat tento rum z palírny Foursquare. Při jeho síle 61% je dobré jej nechat dosti dlouho vyvětrat ve skleničce. Pak se rozvinou krásné vůně, ve kterých cítím něco jako višně v čokoládě, dřevo sudu a něco k tomu. V chuti je to velice podobné a vzhledem k síle 61% jsem očekával vetší lihovost, která se však nekoná. Rum je takový uhlazený a svoji sílu nedává moc znát. Chuť višní v čokoládě tam cítím pořád v takové jakoby komplexní chuti. Rozhodně se zařadil po bok mojí oblíbené 2008 a jejich přímé porovnání budu muset v budoucnu provést. Jednoduše jsou to výborné rumy.

This is a very smooth rum. My favorite is Foursquare, but this rum is definitely in my top 5!

I love this one. It was my favourite at the distillery and my only regret is that I didn’t but two.

- vůně typický Foursquare, nasládlá, karamel, čokoláda, vanilka, mandle, med
- chuť méně zajímavá než vůně, nasládlá, tropické ovoce

Od tohto rumu som dostal trošku menej ako som čakal. Príjemná voltaz, sladkosť výrazná, az hraniciaca s čokoládou. Výborné pitie,ale čakal som od neho ešte o kúsok viac, dlhší záver a väčšiu plnost

I recently tasted three recommended rums at Lei Low in Houston.
Foursquare Redoutable was the best and so worthy of sipping alone.
The nose is well balanced with a slight of vanilla present
The full cask strength is only slight noticeable with a wonderful taste that has to come from the ex-Madeira casks that it was aged in.
Each sip just brought on more flavors to the tongue.

N - honey, spices, clove, fragrant, cinnamon,
P- warm, light green banana, spices, honey, dry, light oak
F - banana chips, perfect warmth keeping the spices and flavor going

Foursquare is foursquare, delicious and pure. This one is strong, but round and tasty

taste - 10/10
smell - 10/10
sweetness - 8/10
price/value rating - 6/10