Overview
Brand: La Maison & Velier, Flag series
Origin: Foursquare, St. Philip, Barbados
Still: Pot & Column Blend
Age: 14 years
Finish: ex-Bourbon
ABV: 64.6%
For the 2026 edition of the Flag Series, La Maison & Velier decided to feature Barbados, Ghana, and Vietnam. Each single cask rum was selected with the American market in mind, and builds upon the previous installments in this series by featuring new origins but retaining the pure presentation of the rum.
Today, we're sampling rum from the Barbados bottling of this series. And take a look at just how beautiful this bottle is!
Flag Series Barbados 2011 is a molasses-based blend of pot and column distillate, originally produced at the famous Foursquare Rum Distillery in St. Philip, Barbados. After 8 years at its tropical origin, the rum spent another 6 years maturing in Europe for a total of 14 years of aging, all in ex-Bourbon casks. It was bottled at a cask strength of 64.6% ABV, yielding 235 bottles.
I received this sample as part of a bottle share organized by a fellow rum enthusiast.
Appearance
Gold, low viscosity
Nose
Toasted almonds, butterscotch, champagne vinegar, vanilla
Palate
Vanilla, butterscotch, pastry dough, salted almonds, honeycomb, hint of black cherry
Finish
Long, warm, oaky; toasted oak, bitter almonds, vanilla, milk chocolate
Rating: 6/10
Summary
Flag Series Barbados is a solid rum. It's a pretty straightforward Foursquare rum; nothing unexpected or necessarily outstanding about this one.
Vanilla, butterscotch, toasted almonds, and pastry dough come through on the nose and palate, leading the notes that I typically get when trying Foursquare rum. The nose has an interesting champagne vinegar aroma, while the palate has a slightly earthen honeycomb note that I enjoy.
While not super unique as far as Bajan rums go, I will say that it is one of the better split tropical/continental aged Foursquare rums that I've had. It retains a good amount of its character that makes for an enjoyable pour.