Doorly’s 3 year old White Rum 40%
Tasted: Mar 2015
Soft, rounded aromas with hints of vanilla, but there is more emphasis on the fresh, slightly herbal spirit character. Slightly nutty with hints of dried fruit and liquorice. With time it develops a slight perfumed edge.
The palate is lightly creamy with a touch of vanilla, but like the nose it has a lovely freshness. Lightly herbal with hints of dried fruit and an elegant, spicy finish.
Doorly’s XO 40%
Rums aged for a minimum of 6 years in a variety of ex-Oloroso casks.
Tasted: Mar 2015
Dark and very aromatic with plenty of pot still character and that distinct perfumed note of midnight violets. It displays plenty of toasty, almost new European oak notes along with walnuts and dark, dried fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg. With time it becomes lightly vegetal with hints of menthol and celery.
The palate is soft and toasty with plenty of mature dried fruit and again a light perfumed midnight violet. Genbtly spiced and very deep with a good pot still weightiness. Long with a lightly drying tannins, dusty spice and liquorice.
RL Seals Barbados 10 year old 43%
Tasted: Jan 2010
A big, weighty, balanced nose, not overblown with herbal-sweet peat, a touch of coffee, dark chocolate coated raisins, burnt wood embers, spicy oak and toffee. An uncompromising nose with an almost medicinal edge. The palate is oily, opening with soft tannins, old chestnuts, raisin, fig and liquorice accentuated molasses syrup. Then comes the herbal-sweet peat and spicy oak adding a burnt bitterness. Mouth-filling and very long with a lovely bitter/ sweet balance.
R L Seals 10 year old 43%
Pot & Column Still Rums
Re-Tasted: Mar 2015
A lovely, dense and aromatic nose with lightly perfumed dried fruit and heavier molasses and pot still spices than the Rum Sixty Six. Lightly vegetal in a sub-agricole kind of way with hints of toasty wood notes.
The palate is soft but taught, opening with lightly spiced sultana and dried banana. Fresh and herbal on the middle as the column still notes come through balancing the light molasses and dark honey. Lovely, dry, spicy finish with a lingering vegetal oiliness.
Rum Sixty Six 12 year old Family Reserve 40%
Pot & Column Still Rums
Tasted: Mar 2015
Pungent and lightly oiled aromas of raisins, cinnamon and plenty of cigar smoke. Lovely intensity with citrus and like the Doorly’s white a slight perfumed edge.
The palate is soft and smoky with gentle dried fruit and toasty oak. The column still spirit adds freshness and spices to the middle to balance the darker, weightier pot sill. Lovely, spicy finish with a light ‘Guyana-esque’ oiliness on the finish.
Foursquare Distillery Spiced Rum 35%
Tasted: Oct 2005
Light, youthful aromas of toffee, coconut, caramel, orange, marzipan, vanilla and hints of spice. The palate mirrors the nose and is quite soft with a tart/ tangy bite. Reasonable intensity of lightly spiced dried fruit and a slightly false/ toasted(?) caramel and the tanginess on the nose equates to a bit of intrusively alcoholic finish.
Foursquare Distillery Spiced Rum 37.5%
Re-Tasted: Jan 2015
The nose is thankfully quite rum-like rather than being blasted to death by spice. Lightly oily dried fruit and citrus shows with a gently honeyed note. Like I said the spices are quite subtle and unobtrusive.
The palate is lightly oiled with hints of dried fruit and mentholated spices. Like the nose it is quite subtly spiced although those spices have a sinus clearing spiciness, and dare I say it is quite elegant with a good, oily, rummy finish.
Foursquare Distillery Port Finish 9 year old 40%
Rums aged for 3 years in American oak and finished for 6 years in ex-Port.
Tasted: Mar 2015
An intense, pungent and manurey nose with red, winey fruit overlaying the rum character but not blanketing it. Quite smoky (sweet) and enticing with the American oak coming through with some sweet vanilla notes. Very spicy – black pepper and cinnamon which is both sweet and tannic. Amazingly well balanced.
Dry and spicy on the palate with a touch of bitter oak to begin with, but as it unwinds in a laid back Bajan way the molasses rum character comes through followed by waves of luscious, silky red fruit. Lightly vegetal on the middle with the rum notes pushing the port notes to the edges. Lovely finish with some soft, slightly drying spices and returning toasty vanilla.
Foursquare Distillery Port Finish 9 year old 40%
Re-Tasted: Mar 2016
A pungent, slightly stinky nose of dried plum, raisin, raspberry and redcurrant. Gently spiced with some sweet smoke and a good dollop of creamy vanilla. With time a touch of coffee, cinnamon sticks, incense and pepper appears. Amazingly balanced.
A little tannic with bitter oak notes to start on the palate but the silky, winey red fruits arrive promptly. The molasses rum character comes through on the middle along with some spice and pepper. Really mouth-filling and succulent. Long with lingering strawberry, redcurrant and toasty oak notes.
Foursquare 11 year old Zinfandel Cask 43%
Bourbon/ Zinfandel
Dist: 2004 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2016
A big, bold and juicy nose of spice and pepper infused sweet red fruit. Chunky American oak, wood smoke and a touch of dried fruit, muscavado sugar and dusty, sweet spice. Very intense and smoky with an almost peaty, herbal, medicinal note. Wow! Seriously good!
The palate opens with crisp column still character with cranberry, redcurrant and hints of smoke and dark chocolaty tannins. Lightly herbal with plenty of dried fruit. Intensely woody and smoky on the middle. Long and fresh with the rummy raisin and prune notes returning along with the pepper and spice. Wow! What a great combination!
Foursquare 2004 (11 year old) Cask Strength 59%
A Blend of Pot & Column Still/ Bourbon/ Dist: 2004 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2016
Dark, juicy aromas of raisin and prune, along with hints of manure, earth, sultanan and chunky but integrated oak. Lightly medicinal with wood smoke and Demerara sugar. The crisp, column still notes sit beneath adding verve and intensity.
The palate is intense, sweet and juicy with dark honey coated dried fruit. Quite tannic and alcoholic on the middle with hints of earth, wood smoke and bitter chocolate. A lovely, mouth-watering finish with lingering herbal, gritty coffee grains, sweet vanilla and wood spice.
With water the nose becomes oilier with a sort of sub-Guyana character. The dried fruits are sharper and more citric. The palate is oilier, like the nose, but fresher too. Dilution really brings out the fruit – pineapple, apricot and sultana. Mouth-filling and deep with a lovely sweet finish and lingering, almost peaty notes.
Foursquare 2004 (11 year old) Cask Strength 59%
Bourbon/ Dist: 2004 Btl: Sept 2015/ Re-Tasted: Oct 2016
Intense aromas of Demerara sugar coated dried fruit with hints of agricole-esque herbal spice, wood smoke and sweet vanilla oak. Polished but edgy.
The palate has that wonderfully edgy dried fruit, but at the same time it’s very silky with chocolaty spices, ginger, cinnamon and drying wood tannins. Beautifully deep and very easy to drink un-diluted. Long, spicy and slightly citric finish with hints of vanilla and cocoa powder.
Water brings out burnt coffee beans and treacle on the nose along with emphasising the citrus. The palate is softer and shows a little more treacle. Still a touch woody but the voiluptous dried fruit has no been released and balances. A little more medicinal on the finish but still spicy with a little nutty bitterness.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 