CoR Foursquare 2002

The Colours of Rum, the Polish house known for purist single casks, bottle this Foursquare from the 2002 vintage, drawn from Richard Seale's St Philip distillery in Barbados. At twenty years and 49%, it is an unusual, pot-still expression that steps well outside the familiar house profile, single cask and made for open-minded tasters.

Unusually this is pure pot still rather than the typical pot-and-column blend, matured in ex-bourbon oak. The result is dry, herbal and waxy, built around honeycomb, black tea, chamomile and an incense-like note over young wood, with mint threading through. It reads more whisky-like than tropical, often likened to a Rockley-style profile, and at 49% some find it on the lighter side. Added sugar is unconfirmed but it drinks firmly dry. This is a distinctive, herbal take on Barbados for drinkers bored with the standard coconut-and-vanilla Foursquare, rewarding curiosity rather than expectations of the usual richness.