Foursquare Mystique Private Cask (The Whisky Exchange)

This Foursquare was selected for The Whisky Exchange as the Mystique, a private cask from Richard Seale's St Philip distillery in Barbados. At fourteen years and unsweetened at 62%, it carries no added sugar, colour or flavouring in keeping with the house ethos, and takes the classic single blend in a sherry direction at full strength.

The pot-and-column spirit was matured with sherry-cask influence, which deepens the profile into caramel, roasted nuts and dark fruit. The nose shows caramel, wood, sherry and a roasted edge, the palate is woody and roasted with caramel and coconut, and the finish runs warm and woody with firm oak tannins. For the proof it stays composed and surprisingly drinkable, the sherry adding richness without burying the Foursquare DNA. This is a rich, oak-driven Barbados rum for drinkers who want the house style with extra depth and a tannic, sherried backbone.