Golden Devil Barbados Fourasquare Rum Distillery Aged 11 Years. Welcome all to the very first World Foursquare Rum Distillery Day (17th November 2019). An idea stemming from the creative mind of Richard Blesgraaf the spirits retailer, who also set up the Facebook group Foursquare Rum Appreciation Society.

I had originally intended to review one of the more recent official Foursquare Rum Distillery releases. Either Sagacity or Ple…..yeah the P one. Unfortunately they have not been officially released in the UK and I have been unable to source a sample in time.

So I had a bit of a hunt through the sample box and found a release from 2018 that I had forgotten all about. Those familiar with the website will have seen some of the Kill Devil Single Cask rum reviews I have done over the past few years. Kill Devil Rum is a brand which is owned by Independent Whisky Bottler Hunter Laing.

Kill Devil are another brand that have had to “re-brand” their line up in the US to avoid conflicting with existing brands. So any of these rums you may find in the US will be branded as Golden Devil. Unless someone has imported them direct from Europe.

For this particular Foursquare bottling the famous US Spirits Store K&L Wine Merchants have teamed up with Hunter Laing to release this 11 Year Old Foursquare rum.

Only 214 bottles of this rum were ever available (best of luck trying to find one). The rum was bottled at 62.5% ABV Cask Strength and is a blend of Pot and Column rum distilled in November 2006, blended and put into a single barrel. It retailed at $89.99. Which was not a bad price at all for a full 75cl bottle.

It is unclear how much tropical and continental ageing was at play with this rum as that has not been disclosed.

Presentation wise Hunter Laing have opted for a clear bottling for the Golden Devil releases, other than that it is pretty much as you find with the European releases. A nice chunky synthetic cork stopper tops off the presentation nicely.

Foursquare Rum Distillery’s reputation has really rocketed over the past few years. It started pretty much with the 2006 Velier collaboration which first got those outside the rum world buzzing about rum.

It has continued with a steady release of the Exceptional Cask Series and collaborations with Velier such as Triptych and Destino. Each rum offering something new and different. For both more hardened enthusiasts demanding Cask Strength rums and those easing gently into the world of unsweetened and unadulterated rum.

This bottling is/was for the more hardcore consumer.

In the glass we are presented with a pretty light coloured spirit. Just a shade or two darker than straw. Very “Golden” indeed! This might suggest more continental ageing than tropical but it also may indicate no caramel.

Nosed this is classic Foursquare. The rum has been aged in ex-bourbon casks only. No secondary maturation. So it’s fairly similar to the likes of 2004,2005 and 2007. At 62.5% ABV it is fairly boozy and a touch on the hot side. There are notes of coconut, banana and some woody spice. A touch of citrus zest and a fair hit of black pepper.

Sipped it is easier on the palate than the nose lead me to expect. It’s very tart though. A lot of lemon and lime zest, marmalade and some gooseberries. It has a fair amount of bitterness especially on the mid palate. I’m not getting a lot of the chocolate and nutty notes that I find with the ECS 2004, 2005 and 2007. Overall it’s a spicer, slightly less complex spirit.

Further sips see the rum calm down a little – the mid palate displays a touch more chocolate and a hint of raisin. The finish on this rum is a good length. It’s probably the best part of it. It has a lovely lingering spicy note and an almost orange chocolate note.

This rum does benefit from a drop or two of water. Just to round off its edges a little. This allows the more fruity notes – red grape, a touch of pear to show themselves.

This is probably a rum more for the completists. I wouldn’t recommend buying this over one of the distilleries own releases. There is no question this is a fine rum, but its not a game changer.

Chances are the option of buying this might not present itself. I was lucky to try this and thanks to Jon for getting me a sample.