The second bottling for La Maison du Whisky Singapore’s 18th anniversary was one that I’ve coveted since tasting it at Whisky Live Singapore 2023 - an exclusive single cask 2006 Barbados bottled under the label of TRCL Rum. Little known is that Arthur Morbois, Managing Director of LMDW APAC, was the founder of TCRL, which might also explain why we have had two excellent Singapore-exclusive rums from the brand, the first being a rum from Marie Galante, distilled by the Bielle Distillery in 2001, and the second being the very bottle I have here today.

Distilled at the Foursquare distillery in 2006, it is almost certain that the rum was a blend of pot and column still distillates, as they so often are according to Richard’s preferences. It was then filled into an ex-bourbon cask numbered FS06FV06, aged in tropical Barbados for 14 years, followed by an additional two years of continental aging in Europe. It was then bottled in 2023, with an outturn of 260 bottles at an abv of 60.6%.

The nose resembled very much of a fruit basket, white peaches, oranges, and the tiniest hint of cantaloupe, making this a very easy and welcoming rum for most. Having been aged in an ex-bourbon cask, it certainly had its fair share of vanilla, caramel, and a subtle shade of the toasted char too. And underneath this all was a light, savoury, perhaps rancio note that you occasionally find in long tropically aged rums.

The texture was oily, light chewiness, leaning towards the thinner side of things, which was interesting given that this was at cask strength. The sweet florals and honey were apparent from the beginning, followed by warm notes of vanilla and cream soda. The finish was long, with some of those floral notes returning, paired with red berries, dried hawthorn flakes, and the rancio-like notes again.

This 2006 Barbados was splendid as much as it was intriguing, given its softness in comparison to the rich and more punchy Foursquare rums we have become accustomed to. It lends a slightly different perspective to the distillery and its rums, and one that I think will appeal to the Foursquare fans and all neat-spirit lovers alike.

Your occasional rum addict!

@weixiang_liu