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The Pappy Van Winkle of Rum: Foursquare's Epic Nobiliary!

Posted by Mark Grimaldi on Jul 12th 2020

Last year we introduced you to the amazing rums of Foursquare. We had a tny bit, and they sold out fast, leaving a bunch of people hanging. I am still sipping on my bottle of "premise", and it's one of the most serious, bourbon-esque rums I have come across. Today we offer out two vintages of Foursquare's ex-bourbon cask rum! Enjoy!
I didn't call it the Pappy Van Winkle of rum, but this guy did on Punch. It's safe to say that Foursquare has made it now. When their 2005 won the International Spirits Challenge’s Supreme Champion award last year, the first time a rum has ever won that title, it was a watershed moment for the whole category. Every year, these rums rise in popularity, and we're lucky to get a few. If these bottles said "Bourbon" and not "Rum" on them, they would be impossible to get. They have few peers and are considered at the top of the list for spirits connoisseurs.

Today, we're pleased to offer Foursquare's new "Nobiliary" bottling, as well as their 2007 and a special collaboration bottling with Jamaica's legendary Hampden Estate.

Foursquare is the brainchild of Richard Seale, whose family has been in the rum business since the 1920s. The Seale family were primarily blenders, buying up rums from various Caribbean distilleries and releasing them as proprietary brands. In the mid-90s, though, Richard decided to purchase and restore an old sugar factory on Barbados. There, he started distilling on a combination of column and pot stills, bringing a master blender's palate and knowledge. All Foursquare rums are "pure", without additions of sugar, caramel, or any other additives that are widely used in commercial rum production.

Nobiliary is part of Foursquare's Exceptional Cask Series, wherein individual casks are selected for their unique character and bottled on their own. Nobiliary was aged for fourteen years in ex-Bourbon casks. If you've never had serious, long-aged rum, be prepared to have your mind blown.

If you're new to rum, this is not the type of rum you make a mixed drink with. These fine rums are on the level of an exceptional bourbon or scotch. These are meant for sipping, and offer many of the same characters of a fine whiskey--but the dimension that being distilled from sugar cane vs corn and barley adds, is something that I just love, almost more than Bourbon. For years, rums like these were strictly the domain of geeky bartenders and the spirits cognoscenti. But given Foursquare's amazing success, rum is now safely considered mainstream. It won't be long before Foursquare is as hard to find as Pappy.

To order, please click here. Shipping and curbside delivery are available as always. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reply to this email or call us at (607) 319-0500.

1) Foursquare Nobiliary 14-year aged Rum "Exceptional Cask Series" - 12 available
Sale Price $107.99/btl! BUY NOW
Compare up to $130/btl

Another exceptional release from Foursquare! This 14 year old rum spends its entire life aging in ex-bourbon casks, though the lack of a cask finish is not a detraction from complexity. One of the more intense recent releases (and not just in abv!) this is a rich and full-bodied rum that exudes a lot of style. Notes of raisin, sultana, dried figs, candied apple, ginger, ginger snaps, baking spice, vanilla, shaved coconut, dark honey, something slightly musty, worn leather and pipe tobacco all interplay on the very complex nose. The palate introduces some dried apricot and other stone fruit, and almost a hint of orange marmalade, along with the savory and spice notes. Supremely delicious, this is also a fascinating continuation of where the Foursquare releases are going, with an added layer of fruitiness and lift to this bottle. Foursquare keeps setting new benchmarks for quality.

2) Foursquare Vintage 2007 12 year aged Rum "Exceptional Cask Series"
Compare up to $130
Sale Price $79.99/btl! BUY NOW

Winner of Gold Medal for Rum Aged over 10 Year Old - 2019 International Spirits Challenge
Gold

The vintage releases from Foursquare just keep getting better and better. Aged all in ex-bourbon cask for a minimum of 12 years, this 2007 release is a powerhouse, incorporating everything we loved about the 2004 and 2005, but amplifying it even further. Richard Seale increased the pot still component for the 2007, and it's gushing with richness and intensity. An incredible combination of sweet spice, dried fruit, chocolate, leather and tobacco, all very intense, but very much balanced. Richard Seale and the Foursquare team just keep raising the bar with each release.

It being in ex-bourbon cask for that long I’d expect vanilla and plenty of oak. It delivers on both. Additionally, I’m picking up red fruit, almond, brine, coconut, chocolate and light tobacco. Compared to the 2005 the nose is more intense, bolder and fatter. It supports the higher pot still component. The tobacco and oak notes are both strong and nice. It’s quite spicy with further notes of chocolate and some leather. There is an incredible sweetness on the long finish that made me go “WOW”!

3) Foursquare Probidas White Blended Rum 750ml
Sale Price: $37.99/btl!! BUY NOW

A collaboration between two of the best rum distilleries in the world, Foursquare and Hampden Estate in Jamaica, Probitas is made of three components: a 2-year-aged Foursquare rum distilled on Coffey still, an unaged Foursquare Coffey still, and an unaged Hampden Estate pot-distilled rum. Opening with notes of creamy vanilla and citrus on the nose, from the first sip this is rich and complex, incorporating the best of what both producers have to offer, with just enough funk from the Hampden distillate to make this very engaging. Tropical fruit, banana custard, notes of molasses and sugarcane are all present on the thick and oily palate. Sipping it neat isn't a problem, but cocktails is where this rum really shines. Will make the perfect Daiquiri!

To order, please click here. Shipping and curbside delivery are available as always. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reply to this email or call us at (607) 319-0500.