Angel's Share Title
The Seale family’s history and that of Barbados rum have been intertwined for four generations since Reginald Leon Seale founded R.L. Seale & Co. in 1926. The company originally focused its business on procuring rum from the island’s distilleries, blending it, and bottling it for sale to the public. In 1996, the Seale family purchased Foursquare Rum Distillery, and under the guidance of Richard Seale, the company has produced an interesting array of rums over the years, winning multiple awards and slowly building a following around the world.This rum is an homage to the rum blends R.L. Seale & Co. created during the early days of the company. This particular blend is comprised of pot and column still rums that have been aged for a minimum of 12 years in used bourbon barrels and blended to 46% ABV.
Appearance
The 750-ml crooked-neck black bottle is easy to spot on the shelves. The front and neck labels provide a small amount of information about the rum, while the back label covers the legal and point-of-sale requirements. The front label is wrapped around a small metal coin with the words “Finest Aged Barbados Rum” centered around the character from the Old Brigand rum label.
I swirled the golden amber liquid in the tasting glass and watched a thin band form. As the band thickened, it released a single wave of slow moving legs before evaporating, leaving beads around the glass.
Nose
As the rum was poured into the glass, an aroma of caramel, tropical fruit, and wood spices filled the air. After the liquid settled, I discovered notes of vanilla and toasted coconut, punctuated by a cooked banana.
Palate
The first sip of the rum delivered a rich caramel flavor in a swirl of alcohol. Subsequent sips revealed notes of honeyed banana chips, papaya, toasted coconut, dark chocolate, cinnamon, brown sugar, and oak char. The fruit flavors and spice notes merged to create a dry finish that had a fruity tartness, smoky oak tannins, graphite, and baking spice flavors before slowly fading away.
Review
With any Foursquare product, I have a certain expectation of the quality of the rum, and this one certainly did not disappoint. A complex sipper and versatile ingredient in a range of cocktails. It is interesting to see where it shows up on menus and how the cocktail creators are using it in their drinks. As this rum is appearing on store shelves, I can see it becoming a favorite for anyone who enjoys Barbados rums or seeks out Foursquare products in particular. An interesting side note: while shopping for this rum, I found it at varying prices ranging from the mid-40’s to the high 90’s, depending on the store. Due to this, I recommend anyone interested in purchasing a bottle to shop around and find a price they are comfortable with.
