CoR Foursquare No. 14 1999

Bottled by The Colours of Rum, the young but top-tier Polish purist house, this is a 22-year single cask Foursquare from 1999, the dry, additive-free Barbados rum from Richard Seale's St Philip distillery, where double-retort pot still is blended with twin-column Coffey rum. Offered at a full 61% with no additives, it pairs Seale's pedigree with a transparent, cask-strength bottler.

The molasses spirit, aged in ex-bourbon oak, shows caramel, milk chocolate, citrus and wood on the nose, then roasted notes, caramel, oak and milk chocolate on the palate, with oak, vanilla, allspice and milk chocolate on a long finish. It is a round, classic Foursquare with the 61% well integrated, the wood and chocolate held in good balance after two decades of ageing. A clean, characterful single cask for drinkers who appreciate well-aged, unsweetened Barbados at full strength.