Foursquare Indelible. I’m just about over the fact Foursquare are not going to return to the “Foursquare Rum Distillery” moniker on their bottles. It saddens me a little. I kind of liked “ye days of olde”, when the bottles looked a bit more home made, a bit less uniform and of course lot less expensive…….

I get it though, Foursquare want their distillery bottlings to be immediately recognisable. So they are “branding” these Exceptional Cask Selection (ECS). The rum distillery part is now obsolete. Independent bottlers were using FOURSQUARE very prominently on their labels and causing confusion. So the FOURSQUARE is here to stay……

Whilst the Doorly’s range are housed in pretty much the same bottles as ECS, the branding is much slicker. As is the wonderful presentation of the R.L. Seale 10 Year Old. Even Old Brigand, is a bit less basic than the ECS albeit it a little dated for todays market.

So why haven’t Foursquare ramped up the presentation of the ECS bottlings? They’ve certainly got the capability, as noted above.

There are probably a number of reasons. The main one is that they don’t really need to. Certainly in Europe, these bottlings are becoming ultra desirable. At times almost impossible to track down, even a few hours/days after their release. It’s interesting to note that even the famed Demerara Velier bottlings, never really had anything like this kind of a buzz around them upon initial release.

Some later Caroni bottlings have achieved this level. Lets be honest though, they are priced out of the reach of most consumers. So whilst they do sell out your average rum drinker on the street doesn’t even harbour aspirations of acquiring such bottlings.

I think they have resisted ramping up the presentation, as they are aware some of their target market are quite fond of the more “DIY” presentation. Less flashy, more honest bottlings from the likes of Silver Seal, Cadenheads and Duncan Taylor are what they are used to. People buying from Indie Bottlers care more about the liquid than the “Fancy Bottle Brigade” that will buy the latest “Limited Edition” Ron Zacapa or Don Papa on appearance alone.

I would also suggest that the sheer volume of ECS product over the past few years means that simplicity probably allows more flexibility. Had they went down the route of introducing boxes and more bespoke labels and presentation, it might have restricted the number of releases.

Now it may sound a little cynical but Foursquare are riding the crest of a wave at the moment. How long that will last is anyone’s guess really. It is probably not since the likes of Zapaca and Diplomatico became “King of the Rum World” that a brand/distillery has had this kind of attention. I’ll say at this point that  Foursquare are producing on a much smaller scale, despite the “hype”. Both the brands mentioned probably still sell on a scale much higher than Foursquare could ever or would ever even aspire to.

Over the past few years I’ve noted a few naysayers in the Rum World trying to suggest that Foursquare produce a pretty “average” product. These seem to come be bloggers/writers, who only really appreciate more extreme examples of rum. I could be less polite but will leave it at that.

In the main their comments and blogs are mostly left to their own devices. Very few people really pay attention to them.

I appreciate we all have different tastes etc. That said anyone who is assessing quality spirits should recognise that Foursquare are at the very least – a good distillery!

Foursquare Indelible is the 965,000th release in their Foursquare ECS. Okay I exaggerate, its actually number 18. It is a long awaited return to the Zinfandel casks that followers of the brand have been eagerly awaiting since the release of the original Zinfandel Cask Blend way back in 2016. That cost me around £40.

The connection to the ECS Mark IV (Zinfandel Cask Blend) release runs deep. The original bottling contained a dual maturation of a five year old ex-bourbon cask, that was matured a further six years, in an ex-Zinfandel cask. A portion of that dual maturation remained unbottled. That has now been blended with a different eleven year old ex-bourbon cask matured rum.

Foursquare Indelible is un-chill filtered with no additives or colouring and has been bottled at 48% ABV. Indelible is a Single Blended Rum Pot/Column distilled aged and matured at Foursquare.

I would usually at this stage point you towards a retailer. However in the UK you’ll really struggle to find a bottle. It was released with a retail price of around £70-77. I can’t find a bottler with any stock so you may need to go to the Secondary market for a bottle.

So with that in mind I may as well get a tot poured and my nose in the glass.

In the glass we have a reddish/copper looking spirit with an almost orange glow around the edges. It may be a bit hazy but then again I might not have polished my glassware…….

The nose has a lovely hit of Satsumas, Orange Zest (Marmalade), Plums and some sweeter notes of Strawberry and vibrant Vanilla. It has a familiar hit of Bourbon barrel and the spice and light oak notes are reassuringly, well Foursquare.

Despite the 48% ABV, it’s still quite full on and wonderfully well balanced. Everything just sits nicely and the blend is a really good compliment of sweetness and more robust punchy notes.

There are more acidic notes of Lychee, Pineapple and a touch of Passion Fruit as you nose more. However they are “drier” less about the juice and more about the fruit. A bit like a Dried Fruitcake mix. Sultana, raisin and some prunes.

This is a rum which will really appeal to a red wine drinker I feel. It’s sweet but at the same time dry and quite tannic. The nose is very inviting. I’m really enjoying it.

Sipped Foursquare Indelible, will really appeal to anyone who has enjoyed the subsequent Foursquare ECS which have dialled in at under 50% ABV. It’s ridiculously easy drinking. Yet at the same time it has a satisfying weight of complexity.

I do find that these Port/Sherry/Wine cask finished rums really work wonderfully well at the 43-50% ABV level. This is rich and vibrant and full of sweet fruity notes, yet at the same time retaining a lovely balance of oak, vanilla and a touch of “dryness”.

The initial sip is very fruity – lots of Strawberry, Dark Cherries and heaps of Raspberry. This move into the mid palate where more oak and spice kicks in. Warming gentle Vanilla and a touch of Cinnamon.

The mid palate leads to a finish, which is long and lingering. Lots of Raspberry and Dark Plums mingle with some acidic and tart Orange Zest. There is a bit more “woody-ness” on the finish – some tobacco, cocoa and some pencil shavings.

For me it drinks way beyond its ABV and has a remarkable depth and complexity. It’s dangerously drinkable and all in all a pretty stunning rum.

I’ve really enjoyed this and I hope I can find another…….sadly unlike its name its been rather easily removed from most retailers……..