Angel's Share Title
Foursquare Sagacity
Barbados Foursquare Rum Distillery Exceptional Cask Series has taken and kept the spirit industry attention as each new incarnation provides a new flavor exploration for the consumers. Sagacity is the 11th release of the Exceptional Cask series and is a single blended rum comprised of both Coffey and Pot still rums that have been aged for twelve years using both used white oak Bourbon barrels and ex-Madeira wine casks. These rums were then blended to 48% ABV and bottled for global distribution. As with all Foursquare products, no sugar or other additives are used in the creation of this rum.
Foursquare Sagacity
Appearance
The short necked 750 mL bottle design is in line with the rest of the Exceptional Cask series. The labels provide concise details that a consumer needs to make an educated decision about the product. The dark golden amber liquid is consistent in the bottle and glass. Agitating the rum creates a medium band that slowly thickens and drops legs that condense along with the band while slowly evaporating.
Nose
The aroma of the rum nips the nose with caramelized vanilla, berry cobbler-specifically blackberry, strawberry and raspberry. I also discovered notes of ginger, cooked banana, dried coconut, cacao and stewed prune with jellied cranberries finishing the experience.
Palate
The rush of the rum delivers the proof of the alcohol in a flavor filled experience. There is a pleasant oiliness to the liquid that provides all of the berry and fruit notes from the aroma. Dark chocolate, dried coconut chips and oak creates a baseline with ginger being the dominant spice along with white and black pepper intermingling as the oak and mineral notes linger mid-palate. Countering the ginger is a strong orange zest note that balances and blends the fruit and wood flavors into a unique flavor experience. As the rum begins to fade I found a subtle interplay of salt and graphite, mineral notes along with dried tobacco leaf before the vanilla notes linger on the tongue with a nice long finish.
Review
I have had several of the Exceptional Cask selections rums and the one thing that unifies all of them is how well balanced they all are. The flavor profiles found in Sagacity could easily be combative in the hands of an unskilled blender, but instead provides an elevated sipping experience. Of the Exceptional Cask line this one is one of my favorites and that is in part due to the Madeira cask influence which helped infuse the berry notes in the profile along with other notes that I consider traditional Foursquare flavors that can be found in most of their releases. At the time of this review there have been a couple of releases after Sagacity and a few more have been announced. It will be interesting to see how other brands raise the bar and release products that are on par with this portfolio. For now, if you see Sagacity on the shelves, you probably want to pick it up, before it sells out.
