Foursquare Rum Distillery Nobiliary. As I write and had I not had issues with my (un)trusty old laptop I would have had this review published earlier, this particular bottling is only available in the UK from our good friends over at The Whisky Exchange. Who due to demand are currently in the process of re-listing this whilst ensuring they have sufficient bottles to send to those who purchased last week. I think they have re-listed it now

The other bloggers have been getting much more competitive lately, so I’m taking this opportunity to be the first one to get this review out!

Please note I’m not being entirely serious here but yes I can be a little competitive.

Nobiliary isn’t a complicated word to get your head around it just means Noble. So it fits with the general ethos of the likes of Veritas, Dominus etc. If I ever release a rum in keeping with my general demenour/outlook I’ll probably call it Dicklips or Fucktard. If I ever release a rum with additives I’ll definitely call it Cockwomble. Anyway I’ve digressed into Blink 182 levels of puerile toilet humour.

I originally got to sample this slightly ahead of the UK release date in time for a Twitter Tasting event ,Iorganised by the Doorly’s UK Brand Ambassador Peter Holland..

Foursquare Rum Distillery Nobiliary is the 12th release in Foursquare’s Exceptional Cask Series. It is a blend of Pot and Column rums aged for 14 years in ex-bourbon casks.So it’s pretty straight forward compared to other ECS rums with no secondary maturation. It was bottled in December 2019 at a hefty 62% ABV.. As with all Foursquare releases that was aged entirely at Foursquare.

As mentioned this rum is currently only available at The Whisky Exchange for UK customers. It is priced at £60.95. Which really isn’t a bad price for a 14 year rum (or any other spirit for that matter). If you are in the EU you can pre-order a bottle from Richard Blesgraaf at Zeewijck, there may be other retailers as well with stock. I’ve not needed to search, same goes for the US.

In the glass Foursquare Rum Distillery Nobiliary presents itself as dark brown with a very reddish/orange tinge.

The nose is sweeter and softer than I expected. I was expecting a drier, very bourbon influenced nose much like the 2004,2005 and 2007 releases. Surprisingly this reminds me far more of Empery, Destino and Patrimonio. I would have guessed some kind of sherry/port secondary maturation. Not 100% ex-bourbon barrels.

It’s quite rich and fruity with lots of red apple, juicy raisins, plums, figs and just a little coconut wafting over the top. Further nosing reveals more vanilla and spicy ginger. This is both fruit-ily intense and gently balanced at the same time. It is an absolutely lovely nose. I could sit and nose this rum for hours. It really is excellent.

Further nosing and a bit more time in the glass reveals more of the ex-bourbon influence. It never gets close to being as dry and wood driven as the 204.2005 and 2007 but you do notice more vanilla and oak spice the longer you nose.

Sipped – again I am getting a rich, fruity intense array of stoned and tropical fruits on the initial entry. The mid palate develops with notes of sherry and a really nice spicy kick of ginger and spicy bourbon esque notes. It definitely becomes more influenced by the bourbon cask as it develops in the mouth.

The mid palate and the finish because less sweet and more dry with a really wonderful delivery of zesty spices coming into play. This is a very complex rum with a lot going on.

The finish is very long, the intial spicy burn fades out and the stoned and tropical fruits return. This is in keeping with the likes of Destino and Patrimonio. It has a little heavyness to it but it still manages to provide a balance and delivery of flavour which many distilleries couldn’t even come close to matching.

I asked Richard Seale about the flavours, I had experienced. Initially I was a little unsure if I had received the correct rum in my sample bottle. Richard noted that as the rum is aged for the 14 years then it is “softer” than something like the 2004 or 2005. He wasn’t surprised by my reaction to it. Like last years 3 Sherry finished rums, with differing profiles Foursquare have 3 very different ex-bourbon barrel rums up for release this year.

It’s partly showing off and partly proving a point. In works on both levels.

I think this rum might be a bit of a surprise for you if you are expecting an extension of 2004,2005 and 2007. In terms of overall flavour/profile it’s quite different. Foursquare Rum Distillery Nobiliary delivers a lot of those flavours but it also has an extra layer of fruitiness. With a gentler easier going side as well.

This is another excellent, no sorry exceptional rum from Foursquare. How many distilleries could get away with calling their rums “Exceptional Cask Series”?

There are some reviewers out there who do not particularly rate Foursquare rum. They prefer drinking rum which is used in perfume.

All I can say is keep up the good work lads. There is a reason why people read this website and not yours.