Overview
Brand: Foursquare, Exceptional Cask Selection series
Origin: Foursquare, St. Philip, Barbados
Still: Pot & Column Blend
Age: 14 years
Finish: ex-Bourbon & ex-Calvados
ABV: 61%
For the 25th mark of the Exceptional Cask Selection series, Foursquare's owner and master blender Richard Seale decided to go for something new. After a number of releases aged in a mix of ex-Bourbon, ex-Cognac, ex-Madeira, ex-Sherry, and ex-Port casks, a new contender arrives: calvados.
For a few years, there had been rumors of calvados casks being used to age rum at the distillery, with high anticipation of the eventual ECS release. When I visited Foursquare in 2022, these rumors were already swirling; now in 2024, we have the final product in front of us.
Foursquare Equipoise (def: "a state of balance") is mark XXV in the ECS series, and continues the tradition of being a blend of molasses-based rums distilled in both pot and Coffey column stills. This rum was aged for 10 years in ex-Bourbon casks, before being transferred to ex-Calvados casks for an additional 4 years. This was bottled in October 2023 at a strength of 60% ABV.
Appearance
Dark orange-brown, medium viscosity
Nose
Vanilla, butterscotch, fresh pastry dough, cinnamon, plums, blackberry, molasses
Palate
Vanilla, butterscotch, plums, blackberries, cinnamon, apple strüdel, molasses
Finish
Long, warm, spiced; cinnamon, vanilla, bitter apple skin, oak
Rating: 8/10
Summary
Foursquare Equipoise is another great installment in the ECS line; the addition of a new cask type in the series is also a welcome one, in my opinion. The Calvados cask adds sometimes subtle, sometimes more overt influence on the underlying rum, which drinks remarkably well given the proof.
Vanilla, butterscotch, pastry dough, and molasses are found throughout the experience, as expected with Foursquare distillate. Aromas and flavors of plum, blackberry, and different types of apple are indicative of the Calvados cask, which adds complexity and some spice to the profile.
I would say Seale's Calvados cask experiment paid off, and yielded another great rum in the Foursquare lineup. Here's hoping we see more of this cask in future years' releases.