Foursquare Exceptional Cask Mark XXIX "Mandamus" 16 Year Rum

Foursquare is back, draped in velvety port and dripping with Bajan character. The 29th release in the distillery's Exceptional Cask Series, Mandamus is perhaps their most colorfully titled Rum yet, with a name referring to "an order from a court to an inferior government official ordering the government official to properly fulfill their official duties." We don't mean to order you to fulfill any imagined duties, but we do strongly encourage you to give this rum a try - its a winner for lovers of lush but complex and well aged rum. 

Unlike most recent releases of Foursquare, which are usually separately aged casks of different kinds blended later in life, this batch was aged altogether in ex-Bourbon casks for 10 years, then transferred to ex-Port Pipes for another 6 years, a proper finish indeed. 

The result is a rum full of dark stewed fruit notes on the nose, with hints of tobacco, toasted vanilla, and cherry candy. The palate shoots in with a tidal wave of dark fruit again - blackcurrant, figs, and plums, with a hint of sweet-tart raspberry jam. The age comes through with dark chocolate tones, anise, clove spice, and a slight lashing of oak tannin. The finish is long, with a lovely softness provided by the inherent fruitiness, while the more brooding dark leathery oak tones sit comfortably in the background. Bottled at cask strength without any additives at 57% abv.