The Angel's Share title
FOURSQUARE EXCEPTIONAL CASK 2005
Foursquare 2005 Exceptional Cask
In October of 2017 Foursquare Rum Distillery premiered the sixth expression in their Exceptional Cask Series. The rum is created from distilled molasses using a pot still and a traditional twin column still. The rums were blended and aged for twelve years in used bourbon casks. Bottled at 59% ABV, this release was limited to 12,000 bottles worldwide. It slowly rolled out in the United States during 2018 and became one of the most sought after Barbados rums in the marketplace.
Appearance
All of the Exceptional Cask releases are delivered in the same style bottle. The label provides the details about the spirit and makes special note that no sugar or other additives are used to create the rum.
The rum has a dark amber color in the bottle that lightens slightly in the glass. Swirling the rum created a middle size band that thickened and dropped a couple of waves of slow moving legs. Eventually the bands evaporated, leaving behind a line of beads around the glass.
Nose
Pouring the rum in the glass filled the air with notes of caramelized vanilla, dried apricots and raisins. After the aroma settled, I smelled dark chocolate, dried orange peel, black pepper, and smoky oak tannins and dried parchment. An interesting thing about this release is it reminded both my wife and i of what Foursquare Distillery smells like.
Palate
The first sip ignites the tongue and envelops it in a swirl of the signature notes of toffee and oak I associate with quite a few Foursquare rums. Subsequent sips reveal notes of black cherry, cooked bananas, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and sugared ginger. As the flavors begin to fade notes of charred oak, toffee, tobacco leaf, and anise flavors merge and linger in a nice long finish.
Review
From the aroma reminding me of the distillery to the dynamic flavor profile it is no surprise to me that this rum won two gold medals at different spirit competitions this year. The strength of the rum can be a bit overwhelming for some, but I personally found the multi layered complexity a fun exploration of a cask strength rum. Typical Foursquare products are blended around the 80 proof mark and considering how much I enjoyed the 2005 vintage it is my hope that we see more cask proof blends and releases from them. Foursquare Exceptional Cask 2005 met and exceeded all my expectations.
----Article written by Paul Senft, Rum Reviewer----
My name is Paul Senft - Rum reviewer, Tasting Host, Judge and Writer. My exploration of rums began by learning to craft Tiki cocktails for friends. I quickly learned that not all rums are created equally and that the uniqueness of the spirit can be as varied as the locales they are from. This inspired me to travel with my wife around the Caribbean, Central America, and United States visiting distilleries and learning about how each one creates their rums. I have also had the pleasure of learning from bartenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts from around the world; each one providing their own unique point of view, adding another chapter to the modern story of rum.
The desire to share this information led me to create www.RumJourney.com where I share my experiences and reviews in the hopes that I would inspire others in their own explorations. It is my wish in the pages of “Got Rum?” to be your host and provide you with my impressions of rums available in the world market. Hopefully my tasting notes will inspire you to try the rums and make your own opinions. The world is full of good rums and the journey is always best experienced with others. Cheers!