Cadenhead‘s Foursquare Foursquare Distillery 2010

Cadenhead's, the long-established Scottish bottler, takes 2010 Foursquare for this 14 year old. Foursquare is the critics' benchmark for Barbados, run by Richard Seale on a double-retort pot and twin-column Coffey with a strict no-additives policy. This release is unsweetened and bottled at a moderate 55 percent, an approachable strength for the distillery.

Matured from molasses in ex-bourbon oak using both pot and column spirit, it is a notably easy, fruity Foursquare: coconut, caramel, fruit and dried fruit on the nose, then coconut, vanilla, wood and caramel on the palate, finishing on coconut, dried fruit, spice and warmth. It opens slowly in the glass to reveal soft fruit and gentle oak, the column influence keeping it light and drinkable. A solid, additive-free Barbados pour that leans toward easy enjoyment, with the coconut-and-vanilla register the island is loved for.