Foursquare 2005 12-Year

The smell is clean, and the mouth feels strong in fat. The smell is full of caramel, vanilla, fruit. Even the original barrel strength is very smooth to drink, the finish is smooth and clean, and it is more elegant after adding water. What impressed me the most was the sudden burst of thick creamy vanilla after 5 seconds of swallowing. It was very pleasant and worth trying.

Fantastic nose and taste is in perfect balance with the high alcohol %

smooth for the ABV, but there is some burn. Well oaked, wonderful aroma. Vanilla and some dried fruit in both. I needed to water this down for sipping to peel back some burn and get to more flavor. Well made rum, I just wish had a slightly lower ABV, but thats my opinion.

I could go on at length about this one, but what can be said that hasn’t already been said? Pure, powerful, perfect. Kaboom!

Time for Birka’s rumcruise 2019 at the Baltic Sea. This was the top brand at Ian Burrell’s “Blindtest” Master class. It was one of the easier to get right cause it was the only one at that high alcohol strength (59%). It’s extremely complex and you can recognise different spices, chocolate, vanilla etc.
Picture: The brands included at the blindtest.

Foursquare rum is becoming, if it hasn’t already, the “Pappy” of the rum world, the cream of the crop. With no added sugar, caramel color or anything else to alter the work of a genius, Richard Seale has stepped up his game. The new Exceptional Cask Selection series rocks with limited edition year makes like the 1996, 2004 and 2005. Then the Port, Zinfandel, Premise, Dominus and Criterion. And more added to those or will be made available as the collection continues to expand. The 2005 is on the spicy side, it’s 59% abs., it has flavors of chocolate, lemon and lime, ginger, pepper, vanilla with a touch of smoke at the end. Splash of water will bring out other ethanol’s offering other flavors instead of tasting the high alcohol content.
The 2005 expression is aged in bourbon casks for 12 years. It is limited to just 6000 bottles in the US. And another 6000 in the UK.
Definitely one to be added to your collection and enjoyed neat.
A definite collectors piece,

Too strong for me but nice finish. I still expected way more from this one

My sample was very weak on nose. Fruits, vanilla, oak. Tasted weak as smell. There was nothing special here to write about.

Raisins, caramel and barrel aroma, chocolate and candid fruit in the body, warming tail

Sweet & tarry aroma; tarry oak and cane, banana and caramel palate; med finish.

Solid rum with a strong through line of whiskey like barrel influence.