Foursquare Touchstone. Touchstone represents the 22nd release in the Exceptional Cask Series from Foursquare Rum Distillery, Barbados. This release is a bit of a collaboration in terms of the maturation.

In January 2019 Foursquare acquired ten casks from the cognac producer Camus. Ten Casks from their Caribbean Expedition Cognac program. After a year the casks were emptied and and the cognac was shipped back to France. The casks were then filled with 2008 vintage and 12 year old ex-bourbon cask rum. The rum was then matured for a further two years. More information can be found here.

But the maturation didn’t stop there the rum was then further blended with another 14 year old rum. A dual maturation comprising 5 years in ex-bourbon casks followed by a further 9 years in an ex-cognac cask.

Foursquare Touchstone is a Single Blended Rum (rum from a Single Distillery with Pot and Column elements). It is a blend of light and heavy marques. As usual the distillation,maturation and bottling has all been performed on site at Foursquare Distillery, Barbados.

Foursquare Touchstone has been bottled at 61% ABV and is free of any additives or colouring.

Foursquare Touchstone hasn’t quite reached UK and European retail as yet. I’d expect it to retail at around the £90 mark and I don’t expect it to last very long. There is a reason why this is the 22nd iteration of the Exceptional Cask Series – they sell very well.

Earning Foursquare extra income that perhaps a more continuous release wouldn’t have afforded. It also gives the consumer a myriad of new rums to try. Assuming they can actually obtain a bottle.

So lets move on and see how this rum stacks up against the other 21 releases in the Exceptional Cask Series.

Firstly it is probably worth pointing out that only 1 release in the ECS Series prior to this has been aged in ex-cognac casks – that was Dominus. Other Foursquare releases that have benefited some maturation in ex-cognac casks include the now mythical 2006 Velier release and another Velier collaboration – Sassafras.

Unfortunately, I do not have samples of those rums to fall back and compare and contrast. I have an annoying habit of drinking my rum………

In the glass Foursquare Touchstone is golden brown with a reddish/orange hue running right through it. Despite the lack of chill filtering and colouring it is quite vibrant and shimmers in the glass.

Nose wise it is quite light and very fruity. A lot of influence from the cognac cask. It has a tangerine like aroma which melds nicely with the spicy bourbon notes and the light vanilla. Nose wise you would not think this is 61% ABV.

Further nosing reveals some light baking notes – sweet pastry and some light sponge cake. There is a plum like note to this rum and quite a lot of orange zest come through with more time in the glass.

Sipped, you get much more of the ex-bourbon cask influence. Perhaps a more “straight” tasting rum than I was expecting from the nose. Lots of oak spice, vanilla and a slight peppery heat.

Further sips see the orange zest return along with some bitter marmalade. I’m getting much less sweetness than I was expecting.

As we move into the mid palate the spicyness of the rum builds. I’m getting some muted notes of stoned fruits and a touch of bitter pineapple. However the spicy oak and the more bitter citrus notes are the most prominent.

Time in the glass and a few more sips is needed with this rum. It seems to take its time to fully blossom. Which coincidentally is what you start to get as you sip further. Apple/Cherry blossom and some lighter floral notes come into the mid palate, balancing and complementing the oak spice and more zesty almost bitter citrus notes.

Time in the glass definitely benefits this rum and it shows its full potential after being rested in the glass. There is a lot of “classic” Foursquare to be enjoyed with this rum.

The finish is quite dry and maybe not the longest. It again has quite a lot of oak spice. It is reasonably long but its not as complex as I am used to from Foursquare.

All in all this perhaps isn’t one of the best ECS rums that has been released. Having said that it is still better than probably 90% of most distilleries production. I am very much judging these releases almost in a class of their own now. I am probably being far more critical than maybe I should be…….this is still a very good rum!

If you can get a bottle, buy a bottle. At this point in time I would say that about any ECS release.

As a footnote though – don’t ignore their standard XO, 12 year and 14 year old releases. They are also very good and easier to find.