Foursquare Convocation. If like myself you have a fairly limited lexicon with regards to Latin and words derived from it you’ll have no idea what a Convocation might be. It might not even come from Latin for all I know.

It does actually (maybe I’m not so thick after all) according to the gospel which is Wikipedia

“A convocation (from the Latin convocare meaning to call/come together, a translation of the Greek ἐκκλησία ekklēsia) is a group of people formally assembled for a special
purpose, mostly ecclesiastical or academic.

The Britannica dictionary defines it as

a large formal meeting of people (such as church officials)

I did actually think it might be something along those lines but only really from hearing the words convent and conclave which are similar.

Anyway, this is the 28th release in the Exceptional Cask Series. It has been just under 10 years since the Exceptional Cask Series was “revived” (there was only one previous
release) with the Port Cask Finish and the 2004.

How time flies.

It is a testament to the quality of the ECS that the rums are still selling out and are much sought after by consumers. They have certainly not been a passing fad.

Despite this only being released in the UK in the last couple of weeks there are already a few reviews floating around. My knack for being the first person to get a review out has slipped of late. I need to get that sorted and show these young whippersnappers who’s boss……….

Foursquare Convocation is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rum. It has been distilled and aged at Foursquare Rum Distillery, Barbados. So 100% “Tropical Ageing”. The rum has been matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Madeira casks. To be more exact we have the following

1 ex-Bourbon barrel aged for 14 years
1 ex- Madeira barrel aged for 14 years
1 cask ex-Bourbon aged for 10 years and then aged for 4 years in ex-Madeira.

The above has then been blended/married to together to from the final product. Foursquare Convocation comes in at a hefty 62% ABV and (if you can still find a bottle)
will set you back just under £100. Ivar over at Rum Revelations knocked up a review as early as May and he asked Richard Seale a few questions about the use of Madeira casks. You can read that review here.

Despite Foursquare having more ex-Madeira casks than ex-Sherry casks there haven’t been many ECS releases using ex-Madeira. Criterion is the last that I can think of without looking into all my reviews. That I recall being told by Richard was aged in “very old” ex-Madeira casks.

The reason why ex-Madeira isn’t used more in the ECS is quite simple. Foursquare use the ex-Madeira Casks for their core range of Doorly’s rums. The 12 and the 14. As these are a continuous release and not a “limited edition” the ex-Madeira casks have to be more carefully managed than others.

I think I have exhausted my information so lets see how this one goes down.

In the glass we have a dark brown liquid with a yellow/orange hue. It looks a little cloudy – likely due to the ABV. This is not a criticism remember. This means flavour!

On the nose it is rich, warm and invitingly familiar. The immediate hit is off rich dark stoned fruits – plums, dark cherries, raisins and some prunes. So a mixture of standard and dried fruit aromas.

Beneath this is a lovely balanced hit of oak and all spice. Some cardamon and a touch of black pepper.

Time in the glass alllows more of the vanilla, coconut and banana notes to come through. A nice smattering of marmalade as well fills out the profile.

So the nose has plenty going on but its all very harmonious (and very Foursquare).

Sipped at full strength this is quite intense – it is 62% ABV after all. It’s more than manageable though. It doesn’t drink at 62% thats for sure. Be careful is what I will say even if sipping slowly!

Foursquare Convocation is rich, intense and quite sweet (not sweetened!). There is a big hit of Marsala cask influence straight off the bat so a lot of the rich dark fruits come through straight away. It’s quite Blackcurrant-ey. Which I don’t mind as I’m partial to Blackcurrant squash etc.

Going past the initial intense fruity-ness you get a real hit of spicy oak. Which is dry but huge in terms of flavour. Lots of woodyness mixed with the stoned fruits and some spicy heat.

In terms of this I think Foursquare Convocation is pretty much at its peak in terms of ageing. Any older and perhaps without the Marsala influence it may have been too oaky or woody for my tastes.

The mid palate gives you an array of flavours with the dark fruits allowing more of the peppery notes to come through alongside some light vanilla ice cream and some papaya notes.

The finish as you would expect from a 62% spirit is long and very, very good. It reminds of the everlasting gobstopper scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory….theres just so much going on and it never seems to completely fade.

The fruity notes continue through the finish alongside more oak and some leather, a hint of toffee, vanillla the list goes on and on and on……..

I’ve not had a great deal of ECS recently. I think the break has done my palate the world of good to be honest. This is (from memory) one of my most favourite ECS releases thus far.

I really like this. Top, top drawer stuff.