This might look like an otherwise unassuming bottle of clear liquid, frankly it looks no different than water. But to the rum world, this was quite an eye-catcher.

This bottle comes from Barbados' most popular distillery, Foursquare, which is run by Richard Seale, a very prominent man in the rum scene, even amongst distillers, for being outspoken and adamant about rum-makers being more transparent with their adding of sugars to their rums.

Foursquare's releases, especially those bottled under the Exceptional Cask Range and also those bottled by Velier, have been incredibly popular. Yet, there hasn't been a white unaged Foursquare...till now.

Richard Seale of Foursquare Distillery. (Image Source: Rum Fest)

For a long time, Richard Seale seem to have held the line against bottling white rums, resisting for a long time what other distilleries have in reverse chosen to focus on, on the basis that high ester rums (the sort that skirt export limits on ester counts - yes, the government does put a cap on how much esters rums marked for export can contain) are not meant for drinking, but rather are for flavoring - think confectionaries, for example. Velier's chief Luca was of the same belief - correct me if I'm wrong on this one.

Yet, I suppose Velier's chief Luca had a hand in this. Well, it wouldn't be surprising. It is bottled under the Habitation Velier umbrella.

So when this was announced, the excitement was to be expected.

But then something else took that excitement palpably to another level - the use of the term "LFT White" on the label.

It's not an acronym that currently exists in the rum nomenclature, and for good reason, Richard devised it for the purpose of giving this high ester bottling an identity.

Barbados' Foursquare Distillery - a new category is only befitting for the distillery to carve out its own identity. (Image Source: The Rum Reader)

High ester bottlings have been incredibly desirable as rum drinkers have somehow gravitated strongly towards a very singular preference for rums that were outrageously strongly flavored. Most of the rum's flavors comes from congeners and esters produced during fermentation, but it should be noted that having a high ester count does not necessarily make it a good rum. It is simply the product of a specific setting of rum production whose goal is to singularly achieve the highest amount of congeners and esters possible.

Most rum producers were/are of the belief that the goal was to make a tasty, well-rounded rum, not something high ester for high ester sake.

Yet, what the market wants, the market gets. Which is again, I suppose why it became worth considering at some point a white high ester Foursquare bottling.

Richard nonetheless detailed in a blog post how he could not be the same person who championed trademark protection, while simultaneously using existing rum labels native to other rum-producing countries to qualify his first white unaged high ester bottling.

"High Ester Rum" was native to Jamaica, the French Islands had "Grand Arome", "Heavy Rums" is too closely synonymous with Trinidad's shuttered Caroni Distillery, while distilleries like Savanna McGyver-ed the label "HERR".

And so, Richard elaborated in his blog post on how he thus opted for the term "LFT" for Long Fermentation Type - which is descriptive of how high ester rums are typically the product of long fermentation times, he even points towards this term being once used historically.

The result was a white rum with an ester count of 555 gr/hlpa. Which for comparison sake, isn't very high when you look at rums from other countries (Hampden's increasingly popular DOK mark is 1,500 - 1,600 gr/hlpa, with the export limit for Jamaica set at 1,600 gr/hlpa), but I suppose it is high for Foursquare's releases thus far. Although this is only because with Foursquare, Richard has highlighted that the goal of its releases till this point has been to produce well-balanced rums, and not rums with the sole intention of expressing its profile when it is high ester.

Thus it should be noted that while this is a first for Foursquare - a white unaged "high ester" rum - it does not seem to run counter to Richard's position on the topic, it is in truth far from the sort of high ester stuff the market has on its collective feverish mind.

Beyond the whole "high ester" thing - this expression is a blend of cane juice and molasses rum, with the molasses component fermented for over 72 hours with cultured yeast, while the cane juice component was fermented with wild yeast for several weeks.

With that out of the way, let's get to tasting.  

Foursquare LFT White Barbados Pure Single Rum, Habitation Velier, 62% ABV - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Water

Aroma: Deep and rich notes of pandan extract and vanilla, backed by concentrated sugarcane. There’s also a more earthy and chewy sarsaparilla and liquorice. With time opening up to more on desiccated coconut. It’s incredibly aromatic. It’s almost giving root beer cola float - which is quite a trip considering the clear appearance. It keeps opening up to brown sugar, chrysanthemum tea and poached longans. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Cheng Tng (a Southeast Asian dessert of longans, dates, snow fungus, lotus seeds, steeped in rock sugar and pandan leaf soup).

Taste: A very concentrated sweetness of vanilla, coconut and brown sugar. There’s alittle bit of green bananas and cane juice here as well. It’s got a very good intensity and punchiness, whilst maintaining that focused concentration. It’s very precise and detailed. Almost as if it shaved down and intensified.

Finish: More on pandan and sugarcane, alittle bit of brine of green olives, some green bananas, alittle bit of fusel. Brown sugar and poached longans in the aftertaste.

My Thoughts

Absolutely lovely! This was just incredible! It’s got great intensity and complexity, whilst retaining that Foursquare identity. Unlike most non-macro/commercially produced white rums, this doesn’t carry as much of that vegetal note of cane syrup nearly as much, nor does it carry so much of the brininess and fusel - it’s certainly still there, but here it’s very much secondary to the distinctive Foursquare signature flavours. It’s quite remarkable how a clear spirit can give off such richness and depth - it’s a trait I seldom find in white rums and when I do they absolutely crush it for me. 

Particularly outstanding is the earthiness of licorice, sarsaparilla and root beer cola that really stuck out to me - it’s got that same chewiness and earthiness that just blows me off my feet. It had a most remarkable nose that had so much complexity and developed into something almost herbal in its earthy richness. The palate was also very enjoyable - it’s concentrated and very focused. It’s as if it whittled away all the unnecessary bits to keep just its more core character. It’s so precise and demonstrates so much finesse in its control. The finish was perhaps the most typical of a white rum, albeit that pandan note was fantastic - yet, I should say that again, the sugarcane, brine, green bananas and fusel were all secondary to the pandan. The aftertaste was very aromatic as well.

Stellar white rum, tops my list for sure.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot