Foursquare Shibboleth

The aroma is rich, starting with a blend of hay, diced cucumbers, green plantain, and butterscotch pudding. It then presents a moderate sourness from lemon juice and fresh pineapple, followed by notes of orange creamsicle, caramelized cinnamon apples, and cherries jubilee. This transitions into chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, leather, and polished oak, with a strong ethanol burn. The taste has a rich mouthfeel, beginning with a moderate tannic and vegetal spice that gradually fades to a mix of hay, diced cucumbers, plantain chips, and butterscotch pudding. It's followed by a light sourness from lemon juice, then bourbon-infused cream cheese frosting on pineapple upside-down cake. Next are notes of orange creamsicle, caramelized cinnamon apples, and sour cherries, leading to chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, leather, and polished oak, with a high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length, featuring dark chocolate-covered dehydrated pineapple, orange zest, banana pudding with vanilla wafers, a moderate vegetal spice, leather, and polished oak. This is a robust and bold rum that successfully combines bourbon and rum characteristics. However, it has a vegetal tannic spice, reminiscent of licking a cutting board after dicing a jalapeño, on the front of the palate and finish, which I don't particularly enjoy. Compared to Nobiliary, Shibboleth is harsher, with a youthful astringency and those green vegetal and moderate tannic notes that are absent in Nobiliary. Nobiliary is clearly superior, but Shibboleth is still a commendable rum that highlights the exceptional products from Foursquare. A big thank you to a friend for the generous sample.

Nose - bittersweet molasses, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, buttercream frosting, black cherry, orange zest, dark chocolate, herbal notes, lemon, powdered sugar, straw, nutmeg, allspice, caramelized banana, pineapple rind, anise, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - bittersweet molasses, cardamom, cherry, brown sugar, dark chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, overripe banana, allspice, bitter herbal notes, lemon pith, sour apple, earthy mint, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with molasses, earthy herbal, and bitter citrus flavors. I’m concluding my rum series with the oldest Foursquare expression at 16 years. The aroma shares many characteristics with the other ex-bourbon aged releases, but this one is notably more herbal than the others. It's distinctly less sweet and actually leans slightly sour. This is a superb rum, but it tastes surprisingly younger than Nobiliary, despite being two years older. I suspect either the greener palate or the lower proof compared to the others contributes to this youthful impression. While this remains a top-tier rum, the herbal notes are not a particularly welcome addition for me. Well, this marks the end of my rum tasting journey for now, as I've gone through all my samples and bottles. After 28 reviews, Nobiliary stands out as the best, but many solid options were encountered, including this one. Next, I'll be returning my focus to whiskey with a series of blind tastings, which should truly challenge my palate.

I've held a long-standing bias against rum, associating it with overly sweet beach drinks. My initial encounter with Caroni, a defunct Trinidadian distillery, didn't alter this perception. Its distinctive, earthy, diesel-like notes reminded me more of Springbank than Captain Morgan. I dismissed Caronis as a fluke, their closure merely evidence of their inability to compete in a market dominated by Captain Morgan or Bacardi. Foursquare has dismantled this prejudice. Their Excellence Mark series is remarkable. This particular bottling might be one of the oldest tropically aged rums, besides Caroni. One might expect 16 years of maturation in Barbados to result in intensely woody spirit, but instead, it offers dark fruits, earthiness, and a hint of smoke. This aligns with the name "shibboleth," signifying an unexpected reality. These are now scarce, but I've learned that while Caronis are likely the finest and nearly unobtainable, Foursquare's annual Excellence series provides a worthy alternative. Purchase it; it will be worth the cost. A friend shared this pour.

This is the most expensive and oldest Foursquare I've tried. At $150 for a Rum, the expectations might be too high for this bottle. 16 years in the barrel could be perfection or just a bit excessive. I'll find it hard to criticize if it's disappointing at this price, so I'm hoping the Foursquare masters have created a masterpiece. The aroma is not what you might anticipate. There's some molasses sweetness, but it's much less prominent, and there's a bit of oakiness from the extended barrel aging. The first taste is frankly amazing. The sweetness is present but perfectly rounded by the aging process. The mid-palate is almost sticky sweet on the tongue, like a lingering sticky bun. At 112 proof, you might expect it to be hot, but it drinks at a significantly lower intensity. There's virtually no burn. The finish is soft and fades with a molasses sunset. I must admit, I was concerned about this one at the price point, and it might be a stretch for some in the Rum category. However, this is a truly fantastic bottle. I highly recommend it to any Rum enthusiast or anyone who appreciates a premium finished whiskey. This bottle is genuinely worth the splurge.

The first two thirds of this rum is ideal. The aroma is rich and indulgent, and the initial taste mirrors that profound, woody depth. However, it turns quite acrid towards the conclusion. Perhaps it would remain ideal if not swallowed. Similar to Sovereignty, earlier bottlings from the ECS series, specifically the 2009 and Nobiliary, were superior. A friend provided this sample.

An exceptional fusion of rum, bourbon, and cognac. Matured for an impressive 16 years in tropical climates, it exhibits notes of cantaloupe, molasses, maple syrup, cinnamon, white chocolate, treacle, brown sugar, pecans, caramel apples, raisins, plums, cloves, espresso, apricots, hazelnuts, nutmeg, chili peppers, Luxardo cherries, oranges, and vanilla.