Distilia Foursquare Floral Rum Series Dwarf Poinciana (Catawiki) 2006

This single cask Foursquare from the 2006 vintage was selected by the Italian bottler Distilia for its Floral Rum Series and offered through Catawiki. Drawn at 15 years from Richard Seale's Barbados distillery and bottled at cask strength, 60.4%, it carries the distillery's strict no-additives stance, so its sweetness is the cask's own.

Foursquare's pot-and-column blend, matured in ex-bourbon oak under tropical heat, gives the classic Bajan signature in concentrated form. Coconut, vanilla and caramel lead, with dried fruit, gentle spice and a light, polished oak base behind them, while the natural sweetness keeps it rounded despite being unsweetened. The 60.4% is folded in well, adding length and grip rather than heat, and the finish runs long on coconut and barrel spice. There is little overtly floral on the palate, but the bottling delivers exactly what Foursquare fans look for, a richer, stronger take on the house style for attentive sipping.