
Foursquare 2008 Exceptional Cask Selection
R.L. Seale & Company (Foursquare, est. 1996) · Foursquare Rum Distillery, St. Philip, Barbados
Foursquare's ECS series has done for rum what single malt did for Scotch.
Nose
Rich vanilla and toasted oak, salted caramel, dark chocolate, coconut, warm ginger.
Palate
Velvety and mouth-coating with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, coconut cream, dark chocolate, oak.
Finish
Extraordinarily long — caramel to dark cherry to tobacco to leather.
- Base Ingredient
- Barbadian molasses
- Distillation
- Pot still and column still blend; finished in ex-Madeira casks
Cocktail Suggestion
The Exceptional Old Fashioned: 2 oz Foursquare 2008 · 1 demerara sugar cube · 3 dashes Angostura · 1 dash orange bitters.
Food Pairing
Dark chocolate (70% cacao) with Maldon sea salt.
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