Foursquare Dominus Single Blended Rum – Exceptional Cask Selection Mark VII – 56%
Stats: The 7th release in the Exceptional Cask Selection series from Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, featuring a blend of pot and column distillates that aged 3 years in ex-Bourbon casks followed by 7 years in Cognac casks and released at 56% ABV. 12,000 bottles were evenly dispersed between the US and EU markets. Only three bottles came to Austin, TX and I’m fortunate to own one of them.
Background: My first Foursquare purchase was Port (ECS Mark II) for a whopping $40. That bottle sent me down an obsessive rum journey that continues to this day. I bought every ECS release (sometimes in duplicate) up until – but not including – Shibboleth (Mark XVI), when I finally came to the realization that I have more rum than I’ll ever consume and these bottles are starting to get pricey. I’m in purge mode, so before this one is gone forever, I give you Dominus…
Conditions: Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn glass over the course of several sessions.
Nose: Worn leather, vanilla bean, chocolate frosting, tobacco, caramel, toasted coconut, butter, banana taffy, underripe banana, black pepper
Mouth: Super rich, a bit of heat, vanilla syrup, lots of oak, leather, bitter chocolate, tobacco, cherry syrup, shoe polish, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg
Final Thoughts: This one didn’t connect with me upon release and sat mostly undrank for a long time. Revisiting it recently, it has really opened up to something pleasant and extremely sippable. I’m a fan of the “lower” proof Foursquares as one pour often begets a second and sometimes a third, rather than the typical one and done of things 60% or higher. Dominus drinks nice and easy without any unpleasantries. I don’t have to wrap my head around its complexities. It’s just solid rum.
Rating 4/5
My Scale:
1 – I don’t want this in my mouth ever again
2 – Best used for mixing
3 – Decent sipper
4 – Very enjoyable
5 – I’m buying a back up bottle
Austin Rum Society 