Cane Island Foursquare

Cane Island bottles this as an entry into unsweetened Barbados rum, drawn from Foursquare in St Philip, the distillery Richard Seale rebuilt into the island's most respected name. It carries no added sugar, colour or flavouring, in keeping with the house ethos, and at eight years and 43% it sits at the lighter, more affordable end of the Foursquare story rather than among the deep ECS range bottlings.

The spirit is the classic Bajan marriage of double-retort pot still and cleaner column rum, matured in ex-bourbon casks. Expect vanilla and buttery coconut up front, a solvent edge of varnish and nail polish, and a dry, slightly bitter, woody close with burnt sugar and an earthy note. The oak reads young rather than rounded and the body is light, so this lands as a straightforward everyday mixer and casual sipper, honest and dry, without the layered depth of the older Foursquare releases.