Foursquare is very much a household brand amongst rum drinkers, particularly since @richardseale_foursquare’s collaboration with @velierspa which gave us some very delicious rums. So much so that I often turn to Foursquare or Doorly’s (also distilled at the Foursquare distillery) as a segue and introduction to rums as a premium category.

These joint bottlings have developed somewhat of a cult following, and older ones such as this Destino have racked up some astonishing prices on the auctions too. But there is a good reason why Foursquare rums have garnered such attention, and it quite simply comes down to its delicious rums, the careful selection and experimentation of various cask finishes, and most importantly the consistency that Foursquare has.

 
On the Destino itself, it was distilled at the Foursquare distillery in Barbados in 2003, and aged for 14 full years in the tropics before being bottled in December 2017 at barrel proof 61% abv with an outturn of 2,610 bottles. For those unfamiliar with the term “single blended rum”, it refers to a blend of rums distilled by both traditional pot and column stills at a single distillery, which most Foursquare rums essentially are. Furthermore, the rum was double matured, having spent 12 years in an ex-madeira cask and 2 years in an ex-bourbon.

On the nose the Destino has an intense fruity sweetness, lots of ripe yellow bananas and luscious thick vanilla, and salted almonds too. The end introduces a slightly different dimension as smoked meats are introduced, along with sweet coconuts and red grapes. All those years of tropical aging has clearly influenced the nose, but certainly in a good way.

The palate comes across a tad compact on first taste, and it takes a bit of time to unpack the flavours. The maidera cask-influence is quite pronounced, slightly spicy, tannic, with a bit of bite on the sides, and a hint of sulphur too. Usually I wouldn’t add water to my rums, but a splash here certainly helps, opening it up to red fruits, dried dates, dark cherries and vanilla.

All in all I did rather enjoy the Destino, an approachable rum that has good complexity and the traits of a delicious, tropically aged rum.

Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu

Your occasional rum addict!

@weixiang_liu