After the tasting note of Doorly’s rum , let’s discover another Barbadian rum (Bajan rum in the text), still from the Foursquare distillery: the aptly named RL SEALE 10. This is the oldest rum in the range: a blend of barrels at least 10 years old. Just like Doorly's XO, it was designed with the utmost seriousness by Richard Seale, in the purest tradition and respect for the product. ..

price : you can find the bottle for around 35€/45€, which makes it very good value for money, in addition to having a rather eye-catching and atypical look; for the record, the shape of the bottle has been specially designed to facilitate the flow of the precious liquid into your glass 😉

age : this rum is produced, aged and blended at the Foursquare distillery for 10 long years, and no deception on the merchandise, this is indeed a 10 year old. aging takes place in Bourbon casks, with refining in Madeira and brandy casks.

Once you have inspected this rather surprising bottle, it is time to start tasting! And it is a beautiful copper color with golden highlights that delicately reaches the bottom of the glass; the body is very round and this color wears its age well, without hiding behind yet another addition of coloring.

The nose is typical of Barbados rums, full of dried fruits and citrus fruits (orange) with scents of beeswax and honey, as well as a hint of vanilla reminiscent of aging in bourbon barrels. The least we can say is that the smell that emerges is very pleasant, fine and charming. A very good start and above all a host of promises for the future…

And in the mouth no disappointment, the rum hugs and caresses the mouth in a very pleasant way, it is sweet but with a slight acidic and biting side, as if to mark its difference and show its character. No this rum does not stop at flattering your palate, it shakes up your taste buds, it is pleasant but with a minimum of complexity.

The fruitiness is still there, mainly in the form of juicy citrus fruits (oranges and peaches soaked in the sun) but the fruits are also more exotic (banana, mango). The whole is just as light as the nose and offers a few floral notes to finish seducing you.

The finish is relatively long and rather interesting: first sweet and then earthy, it becomes drier with a hint of anise. It is interesting because this slight shift with the nose and the mouth allows the rum to stand out, to bring a little extra that often makes the difference, or in any case that marks more the mind and the memories that we keep from a tasting. For this RL Seale the end is persistent, with notes of grilled almonds and chocolate, and a smoky end (reminiscent of tobacco).

In short, and to finish this note, let's say it loud and clear: this rum is very good! Beyond the serious and purist side of its creator (Richard Seale to name him once again, at the head of a family business for 4 generations), we have here a rum that in my opinion surpasses another well-known rum from Barbados: Mount Gay XO. Far be it from me to denigrate Mount Gay which is an excellent product, but I have always found that it lacked a little something to make the difference. The RL Seale 10 years is just as complex, but more subtle, softer, and more approachable.

From nose to mouth and to the end everything is very well constructed and balanced, which makes it a safe bet, at an affordable price. So if one day you hesitated to try it, I hope that after reading these few lines you may want to take the plunge. 

Rating: 84

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

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