Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selection (ECS) 27 - that's Mark XXVII! This was definitely one that more than a few folks have been keeping and eye out and of course that comes down to the intriguing use of ex-Black Muscat casks. It's the first time the Barbados rum distillery has used such casks, and so of course there's bound to be curiousity as to what it'll do to Foursquare's rums.

In the grand scheme of Foursquare ECS releases which has been going on for some time now, it's become increasingly the case that it's these unique cask maturations that've been quite the draw - all whilst quietly and more subtly, the real kicker is that the ages of these releases have been going up tremendously. The Foursquare Equidem is 14 years old - which is mighty impressive, and most certainly criminally underrated! The irony of it all is that as Foursquare owner, distiller and master blender Richard Seale has always emphasised, the man cares very little about doing gimmicky stuff like exotic cask finishes, and really believes his prowess to lie in delivering consistency. Now on the surface that might not be immediately clear when it comes to these recent ECS releases, but let's dig in alittle.

Richard Seale.

Richard Seale has often bemoaned using "experimental" as a way to draw the crowds - which let's be honest, it does work especially when you've tried something like the 10th expression from a distillery - and so in the interest of even more honesty, I shudder to have even earlier on used the word "unique". Unfortunately, I don't possess the vocabulary that Richard Seale has, which he's taken every ECS release as an opportunity to teach us some new words! So what gives? 

"One of the things we do, is we would never describe what we do as ‘experimenting.’ If you are experimenting, it’s because you want to change things, and we don't want to change things. We want to stick to our principles and stick to our style, but execute it really well. So, what we constantly strive to do, is to do every step as well as we can."

Richard Seale

For him, the goal has always been to find the best cask possible that he believes will add to the signature Foursquare style and deliver the best possible rum. It's subtle but the point here is that the cask is just one dimension to be used in the pursuit of the ultimate goal of making great rum - this is not the same as using a particular cask with the ultimate goal of pushing more sales. It's all about the intent. 

And so in the same vein, even the increasingly extended age of Foursquare's rums being released is also simply one dimension that is applied to delivering the best possible rum they feel they can deliver - and so whilst tempting, in the eyes of Richard Seale, it's not a blind pursuit of the maximum possible age (nor a marketing angle, although arguably rum folks don't go gaga for high age statements nearly as much as whisky folk do), it's simply the best he's got on hand at the moment!

So all in all, it's all about the intention, and whatever you see on the label, is simply the modus by which Foursquare offers up the best rums its got, and not instead the selling point in and of itself. Regardless it sure does get folks moving! And that it does so so well is I believe is testament Richard's work in delivering consistently great rums - and a validation that by simply making sure each release is the best he's got, folks will keep coming back for more. So I think the man's got it right here.

Mont Ventoux, France.

Now back to the Foursquare Equidem at hand - this is the 27th ECS release - it's customarily a pot and column single blend (meaning it's rums distilled only by Foursquare in Barbados using separately a pot still and a column still, which are blended after distillation, and also after ageing in barrels) aged for 5 years in ex-Bourbon casks after which it is aged for another 9 years in ex-Black Muscat casks, totalling up at 14 years old. It's named "Equidem" which means "Truly", now truly what I wouldn't have the slightest clue. This comes in at a solid 61% ABV (also not a marketing angle, I'll just assume).

According to Rum Revelations (another great rum editorial), it's said that Richard had been looking for Spanish Moscatel casks, which are a type of fortified wine that was made from Muscat grapes, yet most of what he could find were made from white grapes instead of black grapes, with few wineries producing fortified Black Muscat wines. Eventually he was able to pick up a couple of fortified Black Muscat casks from a French producer and as such got down to using them.

Black Muscat.

Now Black Muscat (or Muscat de Hambourg) is very much a New World sort of grape varietal - they of course exist in Old World France, however, these are not so popular, and are not typically found in the usual commercial areas such as Bordeaux or Burgundy, and usually limited to the more rugged and wild places such as Mont Ventoux, which is within an alps range off from the Rhone and closer to Italy. It's instead much more popular in places like the US, Eastern Europe, and especially in China, also typically in more rugged and mountainous areas. The varietal is very aromatic and with higher residual sugar, and so is typically used to produce sweet fortified wines, especially so because the vines thrive in warmer climate which in turn produces riper, sweet fruit.

With all that said, let's give it a go!

Rum Review: Foursquare Equidem ECS Mark XXVII

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Copper

Aroma: It opens rather gluey and resinous, with an immediate outer layer of rancio of musty sundried plums and prunes. It's closely followed by some burnt sugar, bringing with it a savoury oiliness, almost that of a creme brulee crust, along with some herbal manuka honey and caramel. Digging in deeper, there's a completely enmeshed basket of cocoa powder, brown sugar, cinnamon and a higher toned industrial scent of greased engines, along with more concentrated and confectionary fruity tones of grape gummies and grape liqueur. The fruit notes are rich and juicy, yet more subtle. With time it develops more on sweet herbal notes, eucalyptus and cough syrup, along with that grape liqueur, with still that really prominent savoury oiliness of burnt sugar and burnt ends.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, it comes through immediately with a rich sweetness of grape gummies and grape liqueur, also plum and prune concentrate, very closely backed up by burnt sugar, as well as a stream of cane syrup. More on brown sugar, caramel, with still that musty rancio quality of sundried dark fruit, as well as those medicinal and herbal elements of cough syrup, which grows in bitterness into the finish. It's rich and rounded, with quite abit of that savoury oiliness of barrel char which really comes through prominently. It's apparent yet certainly not dominant that bitterness of burnt oak and cough medicine. It's on the whole intense, concentrated and with full flavour, delivered in a rounded and almost candied body.

Finish: That burnt savouriness and medicinal cough syrup continues to strengthen into the finish, bringing quite the bitterness that serves as a counterpoint to the overall candied richness of the body. More of that Green Chartreuse herbal liqueur, with also black grape liqueur, continuing to deliver eucalyptus, menthol, and all manners of concentrated grape gummies and syrup - lots of cough syrup for that matter, with still that burnt brown sugar. It's a long and intense finish that gives a deep warmth. Some of that musty rancio of sundried plums and prunes linger.

My Thoughts

This Foursquare is alot! It's massive in flavour and intensity, almost muscular yet polished, rounded and crystalline in form. The flavours are bold and deep, really well-saturated and concentrated, with obviously a big cask influence here. That said, I really enjoyed it alot. I felt that it had a lovely intensity, with candied fruits, sweet herbal notes, and with a nice medicinal bitterness that serves as a great balance and contrast. It reminded me alot of having to take scoops of cough syrup when I was a child, where the syrup is obviously sweet so as to mask the bitterness. Yet more than that, from a evaluative perspective, I also found it to be really structured and having a really great commanding presence, with just so much intensity and well-developed, expressive flavours - it packs a punch and is a whole experience!

There was certainly some chatter about it being rather tannic - and well, Black Muscats, in particular when it's used to produce long-lived fortified wines that can age for up to 100 years, are for that matter tannic, it's what gives it structure which in turn allows for flavour complexity - I certainly think that it does deliver a fair amount of bitterness which I won't deny, yet I definitely didn't find it too bitter. In fact, I had felt that it was a good amount of bitterness that contrasted against the deep and rich sweetness.

That said, where I did wish for more was its aromas which I found rather closed off, and it was on numerous nosings where I really dug in deep that I uncovered more - I could sense that there was more on the surface, yet it was a fair amount of work to get to it. The aromas could be more expressive, although perhaps in time what's left in the bottle will open up somemore. If you're a fan of sweet and bitter herbal flavours then this one's for you!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot