Velier Foursquare Elliott Erwitt (Magnum) 2005

Velier, the most prestigious name in collectible rum, bottled this Foursquare magnum from the 2005 vintage as part of the Elliott Erwitt series, drawing on Richard Seale's St Philip distillery. It is unsweetened, with no added sugar, colour or flavouring, and at 61% sits among the older and more powerful Foursquare expressions, a dry single blend in the Bajan tradition.

The spirit is the classic pot-and-column marriage, aged in ex-bourbon oak. The nose is bright and tropical with coconut, mango and a nutty edge, the palate firms up around oak, caramel and warming spice with vanilla underneath, and the finish runs long and roasted with cocoa and allspice. As it sits the coconut can tip toward nail polish in the way mature Foursquare often does. The strength is impressively integrated for the proof, making this a concentrated, dry Barbados rum for slow evening sipping.