For the Foursquare rum lovers out there, it is common knowledge that @richardseale_foursquare’s rums are mostly a blend of pot and column still distillates, save for the Long Fermentation Type unaged rum that was wholly pot still distillate bottled under the Habitation Velier brand. This made it all the more curious when in 2022, @holmescay released a single cask 20-year-old pot still Barbados rum from the Foursquare distillery. As quoted from @thelonecaner, this would have been from one of the 20 original casks of pot still distillate Richard sold to Main Rum Company in the mid-2000s. It is thus one of those rare unicorns that we may never see the likes of again, unless Richard decides to surprise us that is.

But back to this rum that Holmes Cay had bottled, it is a 100% molasses-based pot still distillate, distilled in 2002, casked in an ex-bourbon barrel and immediately shipped to the UK, spending the next 20 years aging at Main Rum’s famous quarters in the Liverpool docks. It was bottled at 51.1% abv, but I can’t be sure about its outturn - oddly enough, Holmes Cay states on its website that less than 200 bottles were produced, yet the accompanying image was bottle no. 206. But we can be sure this most certainly a small batch, possibly just a slight north of 200 bottles.

On the nose, it was unlike any Foursquare I’ve had. That overpowering aroma of grassiness immediately enveloped your senses, with some semblance to the Okinawan Cor Cor Premium that I reviewed awhile back. Yet in a minute or two, the grassiness seemingly dissipates, and was overtaken by a must curious blend of diluted honey, corn oil, and slight leatheriness, something I’ve come to deem as a hallmark of continentally aged rums. It was also rather floral and minty, paired with a bit of wood spice from the oak giving the nose a slight bite.

The palate was similarly most unFoursquare-like, with honey and floral-like sweetness at the tip of the tongue, then developing into those leathery, briney notes, and a lingering touch of iodine. Strange as it may seem, the marriage of these flavours reminded me of a continentally aged demerara VSG rum. The finish brought a bevy of florals, a hint of iron, wood spice that was accompanied by a spritely texture, turning dry right at the end. A drop of water seemingly tamed the rum considerably, suppressing those metallic, briney and iodine notes, while allowing the sweeter florals the take the centre stage.

A rum like this probably wouldn’t be at the top of the list for those who remember Foursquare for its rich texture, those sweet vanillins, baking spices, and bursting to brim with ripe red fruits. Rather, this is truly a geek’s rum, one that allows enthusiasts like @rum_come_save_me (who also very kindly gave me this sample) to discover these “unicorns”, and in that process, gaining a greater appreciation of the rums Foursquare can offer.

Your occasional rum addict!

@weixiang_liu