Foursquare Rum Distillery Premise. Another intriguingly named rum from Foursquare. Premise – a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion. Cryptic, very cryptic.

Foursquare Premise the eighth bottling in the exceptional cask series. It is one of three bottlings released in 2018 alongside Dominus and 2005.

It has just made it to the UK and is available via The Whisky Exchange it is priced at £45.25 with an ABV of 46% and your usual 70cl bottle. Foursquare Premise comes housed in the usual Foursquare stubby bottle complete with synthetic cork closure.

In terms of legacy it is perhaps this years “Port” or “Zinfandel” cask (two previous Foursquare exceptional cask bottlings). Though rather than call it “Sherry Cask” Richard Seale has opted to give this rum a more intriguing/interesting name.

Foursquare Premise has been aged for 3 years in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to ex-sherry casks where it was matured for a further 7 years. 10 years in total. It was bottled in January 2018. It is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rums.

There was a time when a Foursquare rum bottled at 46% ABV would have been a real talking point. It is quite hard to believe just how far the Distillery has come in the past 3 to 4 years. Clearly with the amount of aged stock – and the acquiring of various casks and barrels many years ago, the Exceptional Cask series has been a long term and very deliberate strategy.

It may have been seen as a risk at the time but it is certainly paying off now. Foursquare are leading the way in the rum world make no mistake about that.

With these rums – I will include Port Cask and the Zinfandel Blend I believe Richard is trying to showcase to rum consumers that true unadulterated rum can also be “sweet” – it is not all “dry” and “oaked”. I also believe keeping these rums sub 50% ABV will ensure less experienced drinkers are not “scared off” by excessive burn. I’ve not actually asked Richard about this but I believe that rums such as this one could perhaps be used as “Gateway Rums”. Helping people move onto what many enthusiasts might consider to be the “best” rums. Rather than having them waste money on fancy XO decanters of adulterated multi column crap.

Anyway, I digress. You are here for a rum review after all.

In the glass Foursquare Premise is an orangey to dark brown colour. It certainly looks the part.

The nose on Foursquare Premise is wonderful. It is light and fruity with notes of fortified wine. There is enough vanilla, oak and light slightly zesty spice to counteract the sherry notes and stop them becoming overbearing. Bringing great balance to the rum and a nice “weight” to the nose. Red and White grapes, green apples a touch of peach and some red berries. Very approachable yet complex. Hugely inviting.

Sipped it is a little more spicy than I was expecting. There is a touch more “oomph” to this than I perhaps expected. There has been real interaction with the cask to deliver a intense and rich spiciness and a real warm “red wine” like note. Thick lemon peel and just a squeeze or two of lemon juice, hints of Shiraz – stoned fruits.

Further sips reveal more of the lighter sweeter notes – a return of the Sherry and some lighter white fruit – apples and grapes. Hints of marmalade and just a drop of Angostura bitters.

Much like its predecessors the Port and Zinfandel rums it can seem a little to “light” at times. It’s very easy to drink and ridiculously sippable. In most cases such rums fall rather flat on the finish as they are to light in body.

Not Foursquare Premise. This is very complex but deceptive in how easy it is to drink! Trust me you will want more than one bottle of this. The finish, whilst not huge is long lasting and very pleasant. Gently, well balanced spice and oak mingle along nicely with just enough of the sweet fruits and sherry notes. It all remains in the mix till the end.

This is a very moreish and very easy to drink rum. You will buy a bottle but don’t expect it to last long. Such is the glut of Foursquare releases and the increase in ABV may mean that a few people see this as “weak” or think Cask Strength etc will be better. Honestly, don’t buy into that. This is another example of just how good “real” rum can be.

I’ve already mentioned the difficulty in scoring these rums. Maybe I should have given Dominus a full 5? Maybe I should be giving this a lower score because it isn’t a full blooded 50% plus rum? Maybe I do like the “sweeter” pure rums? Maybe, maybe……

Maybe picking your favourite Foursquare rum is a bit like picking your favourite child?

All I will say is spend as much time with all of them as you possibly can. This is stellar stuff.

PS Photos will be updated when my bottle arrives.