Yes, Foursquare is back. And no, nothing has changed. But heck, we’ve got a bunch of samples around (though not many anymore these days) so why not talk about them!? After all, we are all grown-ups, right? At least the majority of us is. And if you are reading this, I hope you are!

Velier Foursquare “Absolutio” 2009 15YO (62%): This is a mix of Bourbon and Port barrels. Nose: The port wine cask is definitely noticeable. I get lots of notes from the cask such as plum, prunes, raisins and leather but also coconut, cocoa and sweet berries. All in all it is a bit too far on the sweet side of things but there’s not much to complain about here in general if you are into these types of profiles. Palate: Still quite sweet with the port notes definitely dominating the Rum. Don’t get me wrong, the integration of the fortified wine notes is done very well and the aromas don’t feel artificial or misplaced, but more notes from the actual distillate would have been nice. Flavourwise, I get mostly chocolate, sweet plum juice, oak, leather, coconut and dried dates. By the way, where is the alcohol? It is hard to believe that this is really > 60% abv! Finish: Relatively long and sweet without offering any additional notes. It is a solid Rum, but not my cup of tea. The port wine cask is way too overpowering for my liking. (82/100)

The Colours of Rum Foursquare 2006 15YO (61%): Nose: Slightly alcoholic but what do we really expect at 61%? I get spices such as pepper and allspice, clearly orange peel, green olives, quite some wood and later also a hint of coconut chips and bitter vanilla. I think it should be good. Palate: The palate is even stronger on the spices and wood and leaves less room for any fruity notes such as the orange peel we’ve found in the nose. It’s much rather the bitter oil of the latter that I am getting. The Rum is exceedingly dry and besides a note of honey that I am picking up it doesn’t come with any additional layers. Finish: Medium long, dry and “standard”. I don’t mean it in a bad way, but finishes of profiles like this tend to be highly similar to one another, as they are mostly shaped by the spices and the oaky bitterness (just the right amount I’d say) coming from the barrel. A solid Rum, but nothing fancy, with the nose being much better than the palate. (78/100)

Velier Foursquare “Raconteur” 2006 17YO (61%): They call this single and double maturation. A part of the blend aged exclusively in ex-Bourbon cask, the other part started out in ex-Bourbon before it was moved to former Oloroso casks, only to be married eventually. Nevertheless, the relative proportions are unknown (at least to me). Nose: Milk chocolate, raspberry, yellow plum, leather, coconut and wood are my main associations here. The sherry is present but definitely not dominant. Somewhat to my surprise, the spice compartment is missing entirely. A good nose, but I don’t see myself sniffing this for a very long time. Palate: Lots and lots of milk and dark chocolate again. Next to that I am getting coconut shavings, pepper, caramel, seabuckthorn and quite some wood. I believe that we are dealing with a relatively high column still share here but I could be wrong, perhaps that’s merely the image of the sherry casks. Finish: More chocolate and cocoa, paired with pepper, coconut and oak. It is another well-crafted Rum, but it is completely dull in my book. Certain tropically aged Demeraras provide a very similar profile, but those are much, much more to my liking. (80/100)

The Colours of Rum Foursquare 1999 22YO (61,9%): As a general rule of thumb, I believe that the overall quality of Foursquare Rums has improved a lot over time, meaning that these older bottlings are mostly inferior to many younger releases, relatively speaking. Nose: Very simplistic and straightforward with vanilla, coconut, pineapple and slightly spicy oak. Some fresh oranges here and there perhaps but all in all, there’s not a whole lot to discover here. It is very different from many of these ultra briny 1998s, however. Palate: Much better than the nose, I think. It starts with lemon cheesecake, adds layers of pineapple, coconut, glue-like notes and green pepper before culminating in thick oily umami notes, which seriously couldn’t have been expected after the nose. Finish: Sugar, sweet lemon, fresh orange juice and vanilla stick around for a good time. This is an interesting Rum, where the nose gives you ultra light and petty vibes while the palate certainly knows how to entertain you. (79/100)