Foursquare Rum 12-Year Private Cask Selection

I really haven’t gotten into rum so far, but I bit on this week’s Total Wine Concierge Sales offer. It’s supposed to be a blend of 3 rums (all 12-yr old) which have been aged for different lengths of time in ex-bourbon barrels and ex-oloroso sherry casks. I hope it has some complexity to it. Anyone have any experience with a similar bottling - or maybe this one?

I’m not an expert on the full Foursquare lineup, but RL Seale (owner of Foursquare and several other brands) is an excellent distiller in general. I quite enjoy their Probitas light rum both straight and for mixing. The only dark/aged rum I’ve had from them recently is the eponymous RL Seale 12 Year. Its quite dry (no dosage, unlike a number of other popular aged rums), with a bit of a pepper/ginger spice to go along with stone fruit and the expected vanilla barrel influence. Since the version you mention has time in bourbon and sherry casks, I suspect it comes out a little more bourbon-like than rum-like, but I also strongly suspect you have a winner there. Those Private Cask bottlings are typically done somewhat “to order” of the selector, so someone from Total Wine may well have had a hand in picking the final assemblage, or they may have just gotten to pick their favorite from 2 or 3 different barrels they were offered.

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The reviews I’ve read (of the first version) were all positive. Haven’t had anything bad by Foursquare, so I’m sure it’s good.

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I had the first one they did that was available in WA and it may be the best rum I’ve ever had. Terrific complexity and length. I tracked down a bottle thereafter. Didn’t buy this one though cause I haven’t popped the first and I’ve got plenty of stuff already.

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They make very good rum. They drink well straight and are very solid in cocktails, if you want to make expensive cocktails. I haven’t had this bottling but find there isn’t a ton of variation between their various bottlings (not meant as a criticism). Jeff’s prediction of “bourbon-like” is reasonably accurate, and they tend to be the transition rum for bourbon people becoming rum people. I think that in their style they are the best rum producer. After you try this, for something completely different, find one of the older Hampden bottlings. Hampden is an extremely funky Jamaican high ester rum.

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Worthy Park has some funkiness too, before you go full Hampden.