Such meticulous attention to detail is reminiscent of many of the more recent Central American producers (think Dictador or La Hechicera). However, such presentation is nothing new to Foursquare. They have been presenting rum in such a way that it practically jumps of the shelf at you for years. The Government recommends including the guideline alcohol consumption to not regularly exceed 2-3 alcohol units per day for women and 3-4 units per day for men. Alternatively, 14 units per week for women and 21 units per week for men. There is also a move to recommend only 14 units per week for men rather than 21 units per week.

Despite being sat in the middle of a sugar cane plantation , Four Square are forced to import most of their molasses from Guyana. (The sugar cane plantation was separated from the old sugar factory, now the distillery in 1950s with production at the factory ceasing in 1987-89.) Allergy declarations (See EU FIC regulations) NB Licorice is an allergen for alcoholic labelling purposes) Variety and Vintage – Naming the variety of grape is acceptable if at least 85% of the wine is made from that grape or 100% made from 2 varieties. Vintage wines must contain at least 85% of the vintage in question that meets the protected designation of origin (PDO) or protected geographical indication (PGI) status. Drinking Guidelines

Barrel 1 will be distributed in Bermuda. Barrel 2 will go to Total Wine in Florida. Barrel 3 goes to ABC Wine & Spirits in Florida. Barrel 4 is for Crown Wine and Spirits in Florida. Barrel 5 is reserved for NH Liquor & Wine Outlets in New Hampshire. Barrel 6 goes to Blanchards Wines & Spirits in Massachusetts. Barrel 7 is for Total Wine and Spec’s in Texas. Barrel 9 goes to Bourbon Street Wine and Spirits, Phillipsburg, NJ. Barrel 10 will be sent to various retailers in New York State. Barrel 11 goes to PLCB Fine Wine and Good Spirits in Pennsylvania. Barrel 12 is reserved for Wally’s in Los Angeles, CA. The final destination of Barrel 8 is yet to be determined. The Goslings Legacy We have reviewed R.L. Seale’s Finest Barbados Rum in the past. As if Foursquare haven’t been releasing enough rum over the past couple of years Richard Seale also felt it was high time their “flagship” (you could argue the case for Doorly’s as well) rum received a bit of an update. So what we got was a red label on the bottle indicating this is now “Export Proof 46% ALC/VOL”. The previous incarnation was a not to shabby 43% ABV. Much the same as the equally iconic Mount Gay Extra Old. Mount Gay haven’t upgraded their offering to date. The labelling of your product can include many details including information about the ingredients and their sources or the brewing methods for example. As a minimum, the following information should be grouped together on the bottle label for ease of location by the consumer: It’s synonymous with Bermuda,” says Goslings Rum CEO Malcolm Gosling. Goslings is the island’s oldest business and has been a staple of Bermudian culture since it was founded by James Gosling in 1806. As with the Doorly’s XO (which is brilliant as a mixer as well) and Rum Sixty Six this represents Bajan rum production at its very best. Crisp, clean, slightly dry, well aged and blended. Classic rum produced by someone with a genuine love of rum.

In the glass R.L Seale’s 10 Year Old is a vibrant golden to dark brown colour with an orange tinge. Luscious aromas of treacle and butter cookie over wet oak precede a slightly musty earthiness and old leather. On the palate, dark banana, burnt sugar and butter notes turn slightly dry at mid palate leading to creamy vanilla and baking spices over big charred wood. Hints of balsamic, dark prune and leather fade slowly in the very long finish. Geographic Distribution R.L. Seale’s Finest Barbados Rum. Perhaps the most iconic and historically the most recognised product from the Foursquare Distillery. Especially amongst its longer aged rums.It’s likely that this rum has been overlooked a little recently. Obviously as a blogger I want to try and review rums that have been newly released or are getting talked about etc. Things that might interest. Even without a re-imagining of this one with a higher ABV I did feel a re-review was on the cards. This rum still stands up alongside the other Foursquare releases. If you haven’t tried a more “classic” style Foursquare such as Doorly’s 5 or 8, Rum Sixty Six or this you may wish to put one on your shopping list.

Around the time Gosling made its entry in the U.S. market, the first female member of the family, seventh generation Nancy Lloyd Gosling, joined the business. Before going to college, she expressed her interest in the family business to her father, Malcolm Gosling, the company's chairman. He urged her to study accounting because the business was in need of a financial person. She then traveled to Canada where she studied accounting at Dalhousie University in Halifax. To gain seasoning she spent three years at Price Waterhouse and then went to work for the American International Insurance Co. Ltd. Offered a promotion 18 months later, she decided to make the transition to Gosling Brothers, rather than make a further commitment to American International. She started out as assistant treasurer in 1981 and over the next decade worked her way up through the ranks. In 1991 she became the firm's president and chief executive officer. She was especially aggressive in expanding the company's local offerings of beer, wine, and other spirits. Traditional Terms of production such as Reserva, Grand Reserva or Chateau may be used to indicate the production method.Cocoa and milk chocolate, touch of nutmeg and some nice sweet spicy “sour mash” like notes. Whether the extra 3% ABV is really making much of a difference I am not sure to be honest. As mentioned earlier by previous bottles of R.L Seale’s are long gone. Even with the ABV at 46% though it is still very pleasant to nose and you can enjoy doing just that for as long as you can resist trying the liquid. The nose is classically Bajan, not as sweet as Rum Sixty Six or Doorly’s XO perhaps slightly less fruity. There are notes of chocolate and coffee in the mix along with light vanilla and fruits such as banana and nectarines. All round its well-balanced and suggest complexity when sipped. Surprisingly, given the number of different brands of rum produced at Four Square, there is only one type of fermentation using a distiller’s yeast imported from South Africa. The two-step fermentation process is computer temperature controlled and progressed very slowly with the molasses gradually added during the second step over a period lasting twenty hours. Rum had always suffered from an image in the minds of many consumers as a second class spirit. While vodka made great strides in the 1990s when a number of super-premium brands were introduced to the market, rum continued to be neglected. All that would begin to change at the end of the 20th century. Customers were looking for something different, and interest began to build in the aged rum and premium rum category. To take advantage of this growing interest, Gosling took a number of steps to better position itself as a premiere name in the world market for rum.

The rums produced at Four Square are all a blend of pot and column stills. The copper pot still is topped by a small column which in turn feeds two retort chambers and two sets of coolers with the spirit emerging at just 10°C. Additional coolers in the retorts ensure reflux in all three steps of this unconventional setup. Richard had still parts fabricated in Scotland, Italy and Barbados.

Disclaimer

Alcohol can be very damaging to unborn babies and detrimental to women trying to conceive. A statement emphasising this should be included and may also be complemented with a logo of a pregnant woman drinking with a red line drawn through the symbol. In actuality it ended up mostly as sipping rum and was one of the highlight flavours over Christmas as we did not have much alcohol this season. At this stage it is worth noting that the rum in Foursquare’s considerable arsenal is not merely a more aged expression of the younger sibling (Doorly’s and Doorly’s XO aside). For those expecting a more aged version of Doorly’s you may find yourself a tiny little bit disappointed (I doubt that will last long). This rum is very different to the fruity Oloroso Sherry Cask influenced blend found in Doorly’s XO. What’s that? Is usually the refrain I hear from my less rum orientated visitors (most people to be honest, unfortunately). My reply is that it is a bottle of fine Bajan Rum is often met with a rather dismissive shake of the head.