Foursquare ECS XX Isonomy 2005

Isonomy is a Mark in Foursquare's ECS range, the St Philip distillery's run of limited single blends overseen by Richard Seale, a vocal champion of dry, additive free Barbados rum. This is the classic Bajan method: heavy double retort pot still rum married with cleaner column distillate, here from a 2005 vintage carried to seventeen years.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak and bottled at 58% with no added sugar, colour or flavouring, it shows the elegant, balanced side of Barbados turned up by age. Expect vanilla and coconut leading into dried fruit, caramel and dark chocolate, with firm oak spice giving structure rather than sweetness. The long maturation deepens the wood without tipping into harshness, and the profile sits close to a well aged bourbon, which is part of why this style travels so well with whisky drinkers. A serious, oak led pour for slow sipping.