Foursquare : Nobiliary Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XII

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for Nobiliary Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XII by Foursquare

Tasting

Appearance

In the glass, Nobiliary shows a medium amber hue, deep but not excessive, the result of fourteen years of ageing exclusively in ex-bourbon casks under a tropical climate, with no added colouring. As it moves, the rum leaves thick, slow legs on the side of the glass, reflecting both its richness in wood-derived compounds and its strength of 62% ABV.

Nose

The nose opens with a massive presence of oak, which largely dominates the first inhalations and may need some time to breathe before revealing its nuances. Behind this woody power come notes of caramel, vanilla, nutmeg, black pepper and warm spices, then, with a little patience or in a suitable glass, touches of butterscotch, peppermint, clove, raisins and tropical fruit enrich the bouquet.

Palate

The attack surprises with a relative sweetness reminiscent of caramel, before a spicy, woody power unfolds fully, driven by pepper, liquorice, ginger and capsicum. The dry, firm structure is wrapped in touches of caramel and chocolate that lend a slightly sticky texture, while the warmth of the alcohol builds gradually into an intense sensation. The very long finish remains dominated by wood and spice, with retronasal notes of chocolate, dried fruit and liquorice that gain in clarity, particularly after the addition of a little water.

Pairings and Tasting Occasions

With its power, dryness and woody structure, Nobiliary is best enjoyed at the end of a meal, slowly, in a calm setting conducive to contemplative tasting. It pairs well with dark chocolate desserts, preparations made with dried fruit or aged hard cheeses, whose complexity echoes that of the rum without accentuating its austerity. Served at room temperature in a tulip glass or a suitable tasting glass, it can be enjoyed neat or with a splash of water, which opens up the bouquet and reveals more chocolatey, elegant notes.

Mixology

Given its status as an exceptional rum, its strength of 62% ABV and the aromatic density acquired over its fourteen years of tropical maturation, Nobiliary is above all designed to be enjoyed neat or lightly diluted, without artifice, in order to preserve the integrity of its profile.

Nobiliary Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XII: An Exceptional, Intensely Woody and Spicy Barbadian Rum from Foursquare

Foursquare, an Essential Benchmark of Barbadian Rum

Founded in 1995 by David Seale on the site of a former sugar factory in the parish of Saint Philip in Barbados, Foursquare Rum Distillery is today the only Barbadian rum distillery wholly owned by a local family. Led by Richard Seale, the family's fourth generation, as Master Distiller and Master Blender, the house has established itself as a global benchmark thanks to its philosophy of transparency: rums crafted with no added sugar, colouring or flavouring, and aged entirely in a tropical climate. Foursquare combines double retort pot stills with a modern Coffey column to produce "single blended rums", blends of distillates from a single distillery. Winner of the Rum Producer Trophy at the IWSC in 2024, Foursquare embodies the excellence of contemporary Barbadian rum.

Nobiliary Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XII: The Quintessence of Barbadian Single Blended Rum

Nobiliary Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XII is a Barbadian rum distilled in 2005 at the Foursquare Rum Distillery from fermented cane molasses. It is a single blended rum, a blend of distillates from a double retort copper pot still and a double-column Coffey continuous still, both produced under the same roof. After fourteen years of fully tropical ageing, carried out in open-sided warehouses in Barbados and exclusively in first-, second- and third-fill ex-bourbon casks, this rum was bottled in 2019 at 62% ABV, at cask strength.

The twelfth release in the Exceptional Cask Selection series, Nobiliary contains no added sugar, colouring or flavouring, and has not been chill-filtered, in keeping with Foursquare's policy of absolute transparency. Its name, evoking "noble character", is accompanied by purple lettering reminiscent of royalty, and underscores the ambition of this limited bottling to represent a pinnacle of maturity in the Foursquare style.

Praised by critics for its complexity, length and excellent value for money at the time of its release, Nobiliary has established itself as one of the most emblematic expressions of the Exceptional Cask Selection series, illustrating the ability of Barbadian rum to rival, through its structure and depth, the finest long-aged whiskies and cognacs.