Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XXXV 'Certitude'
Foursquare · Foursquare Distillery
Richard Seale's Certitude release demonstrates why Foursquare remains the reference point for aged Barbadian rum. At 14 years and cask strength, the interplay between pot and column distillate creates a rum of remarkable depth. The name is apt — there's no uncertainty here, only conviction in the glass.
Nose
Dense toffee and dark chocolate open immediately, followed by waves of dried fruit — fig, prune — and a richly roasted oak. There's a subtle leather note and an undercurrent of vanilla that rounds everything together.
Palate
Powerful and layered despite the high proof. Molasses and muscovado sugar create a dense sweetness, tempered by espresso-like coffee bitterness and spiced oak. Tobacco and dried citrus emerge as the spirit opens with water, revealing increasing complexity.
Finish
Exceptionally long. Toffee and roasted oak persist, fading slowly through leather and a final whisper of dark chocolate.
- Base Ingredient
- Barbados sugarcane molasses
- Distillation
- Blend of pot still and column still distillates
- Country
- Barbados
Food Pairing
Dark chocolate torte with espresso cream and a pinch of Maldon salt. The rum's chocolate and coffee notes harmonize directly with the dessert, while the high proof cuts through the richness of the ganache.
Richard Seale, fourth-generation master distiller at Foursquare on the south coast of Barbados, blends pot and column still distillates and ages them in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks in the Caribbean heat.
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