Foursquare Fidelitas. I recently bemoaned the fact that other reviewers were getting Foursquare rum reviews out before me. Suggesting, that I need to up my game. Todays review really takes the biscuit though, as Steven James of Rum Diaries Blog has produced a review before me of this particular rum. The little bastard.

Standards are seriously slipping Wesley, get it sorted.

If you want to read the review then you can look for it yourself……..only kidding here’s a link.

Before I start I would also like to thank Peter Holland for the photos used in this review. I only had very generous samples at the time of this review.

Foursquare Fidelitas. Once again I’m presented with a word which I don’t really know the meaning of? Fidelity? Yeah I’ve come across that with Hi-Fi(delity) equipment.

Something to do with music? Or maybe how it is recorded? The meaning of Fidelitas seems to roughly translate to “faithfulness” so I’m guessing when using the
word “Fidelity” it is in regard to how “faithfully” the audio is re-produced. That makes sense.

Foursquare Fidelitas as you might have guessed from the picture is not a “core” Foursquare release or even of their Exceptional Cask Series (ECS) rums. It is another release in the Foursquare/Velier collaborations, which began famously with the now mythical Unicorn 2006 bottling.

Fidelitas is presented in the now famous Velier “black bottle” with a red, white and black colour scheme. In keeping with these Velier releases, there is no fancy artwork or pictures. Just cold hard facts.

The stand out fact for this particular release is its age. At 20 years old this is the oldest official Foursquare release. Independents have bottled as old and older. That said only 8 years of that ageing took place in Barbados, for those releases. It is without dispute the oldest completely tropically aged Foursquare rum to date.

Back in 2018 Alexandre Gabriel (Maison Ferrand/Planteray Rum) did an interview which upset/offended quite a few Caribbean Rum Producers. I wrote a piece some time ago which stemmed from some of the comments he made. The link to the original interview is here

Whilst my article wasn’t a direct response to this interview I did try and address some of the points made by Alexandre. Despite what some suggested (who I seriously doubt actually read the article completely or with an open mind) it wasn’t any kind of “Witch Hunt”. You can also read the article here

To cut a long story short, it was suggested that after ten years of tropical ageing it became difficult to maintain the rums quality. There were also a few other comments which rubbed Caribbean rum producers up the wrong way…….

There is little doubt in my mind that Richard Seale of Foursquare, has at least been partially motivated to “prove” that Alexandre Gabriels comments are way off the mark.

I’m not saying these releases wouldn’t have happened without that interview. I do feel though that Richard certainly may have approached his more aged projects, with added gusto following that interview with the Archangel .

Anyway lets get back to the rum. Foursquare Fidelitas was distilled in 2004 and bottled in January 2025. It is a blend of pot and column distilled rum. Aged for 19 years in ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred to ex-Marsala casks for a further year of secondary maturation of “finishing”.

It has been bottled at Cask Strength of 55% ABV. An outturn of just 2160 bottles. Retail price for this is around £240 mark. Expensive stuff but these rums are not cheap to produce.

In the glass we have dark rum with a very vibrant orange hue around the edges.

Nosing, it smells old. No I will re-phrase that – it smells mature. Beautifully mature. This is Foursquare dialled up a notch. It is the Foursquare equivalent of those older Velier Demerara rums to their El Dorado counterparts. So suddenly Doorly’s XO and 12 Year Old feel a lot less intense.

Even a tiny amount in the glass bursts with flavour. It is huge on the red wine and deep dark stoned fruits. Raisins, Sultanas, Juicy Plums, Stewed Prunes and masses of Blackcurrant and Blackberry. A touch even of Blueberry and Rhubarb.

Beneath this are some baking spices, some light icing sugar, sweet shortcrust pastry and a little hint of burnt banana. There is a lovely all encompassing note of what I can best describe as “wet oak”. So I’m getting woody oaky notes but they give an aroma that the oak has been soaked in red wine and dark fruits.

This is insanely good on the nose and I am probably missing a load of other notes but can only write and nose so many times!!!!

Sipped at full strength this is surprisingly soft. So much of the sweet dark stoned fruits come through onto the palate immediately. This is so full flavoured and concentrated. So intense. The excessive wood that you might expect after 20 years ageing in Barbados just isn’t happening. Yes we are getting a lot of oak notes but they are not excessively woody – lots of leather and to a lesser degree a little smoke and tobacco.

The intensity of the fruity flavours and rich spices keep the oak well in check. This is so harmonious. Beautifully balanced.

The mid palate just expands upon everything that has come before. Maybe a bit more oak and complexity. I’m getting more fo the leather notes and some rich tobacco smoke.

Finish wise this is incredible. The flavours just keep going and going. This is phenomenal rum. Truly amazing. You will not need to reach for another glass for sometime – as the flavour remains on the palate. Likelihood is though you’ll soon want another glass.

5 stars all day and I would give it 6 if I had 6 to give!