Foursquare The Duchess 13 Years Barbados Whisky & Rum aan zee Cask 44 59% 2005

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Distillery Foursquare
Bottler The Duchess
Serie TROPICAL FLOWER SERIES
Bottled for Whisky & Rum aan zee 2018
Distilled date 2005
Bottling date 2018
Country Barbados
Region Barbados
Age 13
Cask Type X
Cask Number 44
Alcohol percentage 59
Volume 0,70
Condition Perfect
Label Perfect
Stock 0

Professional reviews

Gal Granov (88)

MaltFascination:

Sniff:
A rather spicy and woody rum. Lots of oaky notes, some vanilla, raisins, and proper rum sweetness. A whiff of paint stripper, but that only adds to its complexity. There’s chocolate and some tonka beans.

Sip:
Dry and strong, but not ridiculously sharp. Peppery heat, some harsh oak. It does build up in heat, some iron and minerals. Fruity, funky, sugary.

Swallow:
Something green, forest like. Lots of unripe fruits. Mango and such, but the hard kind. A slight funkiness. Not an overly long finish.

Well, this is a good one! I wasn’t sure what to expect of a 13 year old rum. Mostly because I don’t know much about rum and it is made in so many different ways that it’s always a bit of a gamble. But, after having tasted this, the complexity and depth are remarkable, and very intruiging. I like most that it’s not a full on sweetness that dictates the tasting notes.

Words of Whisky (88)

Rum shop Boy:Simon Johnson

This rum has been exclusively selected for the 12th edition of the “Whisky & Rum aan Zee festival” 2018. It is from a single cask (number 44) yielding 294 bottles and is from one of my favourite distilleries in the world, Foursquare in Barbados.
I have written many times before about Foursquare rums so I won’t repeat myself here today. Suffice to say, I think that everything coming from Foursquare is top notch.
As is always the case with Foursquare, there are no additives in this rum. Furthermore this blend of pot and column still rums has no added colouring and comes in at a stonking 59% ABV. It has been aged for 13 years, three in the Caribbean and ten in Europe.
The bottler, “The Duchess”, is an independent bottler of fine whiskies and rums. According to their promotional material “All rum releases by The Duchess have an excellent flavour and character, and are always free of colourants and flavour additives. An honest rum for an honest price!”
The UK and Europe do seem to be very fortunate to have so many independent bottlers of fine spirits.
Under Richard Seale’s/Luca Gargano’s proposed rum categorisation, this would most-likely be classed as a “Single Blended Rum” – A blend of only pot still and traditional column still. When tested with my hydrometer, I measured 59% implying no detectable additives in the rum.

Bottle/Presentation 2/3
The rum is presented in a standard size bottle with a synthetic cork and is adorned with a beautiful picture of a flower aptly named “The Pride of Barbados.” The artwork was created by painter Hans Dillesse.
The label has lots of useful info regarding the rum’s age (13 years), ABV (59%), number of bottles (294) although there is no reference to the stills used.

Glass/Aroma 9/10
In the glass, the rum is a medium to deep amber. As I have been told that no colour has been added, that means it is the 13 years of barrel ageing that have coloured it. Swirling the rum around my glass leaves dotted lines and thick legs that are very slow to descend the sides of my glass.
The nose immediately reveals the unmistakable Foursquare-esque toffee and varnish. This has more wood/oak notes than many other Foursquare rums I have tried. Even with a deep inhalation, this does not take my breath away, which is surprising given that it’s 59%. The toffee becomes burnt with further nosings and is joined by green bananas, apricots, dried fruits and orange peel.

Taste, Initial-middle 34/40
Soft and slightly oily on entry. Beautifully dry and easy on the palate despite the high ABV. A touch of dried fruits balances the oak and after multiple sips the rum tastes less dry. Light vanilla, orange peel and raisins too.

Taste, Middle/Throat 37/40
At times the rum is buttery, but is always, very smooth. At the mid-palate, a touch of freshly milled black pepper tickles the tongue. This pepper continues to the rear of the mouth creating a spicy finish. The dried fruits merge with the pepper and orange peel creating a delicious ensemble.
Towards the rear, the dry oak continues to produce more tannins. The toffee returns too balancing the oak influence.

Afterburn 6/7
The rum has a medium-long and dry finish. The pepper is still there but it does not dominate.

TOTAL 88/100

Overall
As always, rum produced by Foursquare’s Master Distiller Richard Seale is of the finest quality and free from gimmicks and additives.
This is a really fantastic bottling. It has lots of superb Foursquare aromas and flavours and at 59% it has a real presence to it. I found that two or three drops of water opened the rum up without removing the rum’s power. Some will probably find that they want to water it down further – sometimes a rum needs that but in this case, the rum’s ABV is just about spot on, reminiscent of Foursquare ECS VI 2005
This latest offering from Dutch Indie bottler The Duchess is a great example of a fine single cask expression. Looking ahead, there will be a Worthy Park bottle coming in the Autumn.


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