Velier Foursquare Fidelitas 2004

Powerful and mature Foursquare with clear depth. Warm spices, vanilla and muted tropical fruit on the nose, with a noticeable woody note. Dry and structured on the palate with caramel, spice and some dark fruit, accompanied by a clearly recognizable barrel influence that is not too dominant. The alcohol carries the profile well. Overall, a strong, multi-layered bottling with serious character and good balance.

The latest Velier Foursquare release and the oldest 100% tropical aging Foursquare to date. 20y incl. 1y Marsala finish naturally bring a lot of wood with them. The usual sweetness of coconut, banana, chocolate & co. takes a back seat here and is replaced by tobacco, sulphur, leather, intense roasted aromas, plus red and dark berries, black pepper, slightly burnt coconut chips and intense tannins from the Marsala wine finish. This makes it much less inviting on the nose and palate than I am used to from FS. Personally, it is too astringent for me and the alcohol is not perfectly integrated despite the "only" 55%. But this could also be due to the dominant tannins. All in all, an exciting new release but definitely not one that I would need a bottle of. I much prefer the Absolutio and Plenipotenzario in comparison! Unfortunately, my expectations were not completely met here.

Tasted in parallel with the Equidem. Surprisingly, the Fidelitas is much fruitier on the nose, despite being aged for 6y longer. The Equidem has a completely different profile with more roasted aromas and barrel influence. The nose of the Fidelitas is overall very inviting with lots of fruit, spices, wine, pastries and also a slight floral touch. I like it very much and it reminds me (without direct comparison) a little of the Plenip. There is definitely a lot to discover here. Very balanced and palatable on the palate. Dried fruit, grapes, caramel, vanilla, coconut. Again, it's hard to believe that it has spent 20 years in a cask. All in all, a very good bottling and probably even reasonable for its age. For me personally, however, it is simply too expensive for an FS - which (surprise) does not stand out from the crowd.

Very pleasant on the nose with dark berries, red fruits and caramel. On the palate the Marsala finish mingles with the woody/cask notes, which are definitely present. All in all this bottling is very well balanced and of high quality as you would expect from Velier‘s FS bottlings. Yet for me it cannot make it into the top bracket as it lacks a distinct character to make it truely stand out from the overall high level of FS bottlings.

I'm still torn as to how I should classify this bottling. First of all, it's whining on a high level, because it's really good. Personally, I don't like the finish quite as much. It's not so dominant that it overpowers everything or is extremely present, it actually harmonizes quite well, but I'm not quite as taken by it as by Absolutio or Equidem. It wouldn't necessarily be worth it to me to have to hunt it down and stock up on a few bottles. I'd rather have another Plenipotenziario for 25€ less.

I'm not really a Foursquare fan, but I quite like this bottling. Surprisingly, I notice a lot of glue at first, which gradually gives way to dark berries, vanilla and a little coconut later on. On the palate, the wood influence is noticeable, but also dark berries, dark chocolate, allspice and something roasted. This also continues in the unfortunately relatively short finish. This costs it some points.

You can taste the extremely long tropical ageing and therefore the barrel from nose to finish. Nevertheless, various fruity aromas are omnipresent. There are also notes of red wine (a little too strong for me), vanilla and spices. Very complex and perfectly integrated alcohol!

Typical Foursquare profile, but with relatively little coconut impact, instead nice vanilla and toffee sweetness and balanced wood influence. Somewhat powerful alcohol on the palate, but the overall profile is very pleasantly balanced. The long maturation is good for the Foursquares. A very successful release.

👃 = a bold, gourmand bouquet immediately offers up candied orange and banana, hazelnut, raisin, caramel, woodiness, cinnamon, a little leather and varnish and a hint of vanilla. 👄 = a nice fat amplitude on the palate, a beautiful gourmet balance, ending on a long finish blending spices. I haven't lost a drop! Bravissimo Velier 👌

👃 From the very first nose, there's no mistaking that this is Foursquare. Dried fruit (raisins, plums), the sweetness of fruit, a touch of cherry brandy, cooked vanilla, cooking spices, soft buttery caramel, a touch of cocoa, elegant woodiness, a slightly minty veil. A very Bas-Armagnac Baco/Ugni Blanc side, perhaps the impact of a year's finish in Marsala casks. 😋 Oh, it's rather rare to note, but I find the palate a point above the nose. Warm, inviting, comforting, the 55% reduction is perfect. We find the dried fruit of the nose seconded by a few black berries and a note of dried apricots to great effect. Spices, honey, vanilla custard, overcooked caramel, coconut, dark chocolate, woodiness a little more pronounced than on the nose, but it doesn't show its age. Nice balance of flavors. ⛳ Rather long, on peppery spices, cooked wine barrel, tannins, dark berries. Then, a herbaceous side, fresh grass, sweet tobacco leaf, leather. 💡 Very good Foursquare that combines a controlled ABV and complex aromas. It sits in the upper middle of the many Velier ABVs for the eponymous distillery. If you don't have the budget (215-240🍒) I recommend the ECS 27 Equidem, which offers a very good RQP (99-109🍒). N.B.: re-tuned, it gains +1pt, 89 to 90. It has all the features you'd expect from an excellent FS, with a finely tuned ABV.

Schöner Foursquare in gewohnt hoher Qualität. Das hohe Alter bringt am Gaumen vergleichsweise viele Tannine mit sich, die aber durch eine schöne, beerige Fruchtigkeit gut ausgeglichen bzw. komplementiert werden. Dazu schöne Backgewürze. Insgesamt sehr rund und ausgeglichen. Für mich eine sehr gute Abfüllung, die aber für mich nicht ganz die FS Spitzenklasse erreicht. Kann man gut kaufen, muss man ob des hohen Preises aber auch nicht.

#5645 08.09.2025 Enjoying some samples after an extended workday helping a colleague. Nose Round, fresh, light, wood, light roasted, light clove, faint herbal, light citrus, light banana. Palate Round, fresh, oily, wood, light dried fruit, faint cherry, spice, light cinnamon, light caramel, faint orange. Finish Medium to long, wood, light roasted, banana, light cinnamon, faint caramel, light herbs. Empty glass Vanilla, light chocolate, light herbs, light orange, light berries.

Jakob visits Franconian Tasting Gang in Nuremberg again, always welcome. The new Foursquare Fidelitas is also poured, and I like it very much. The typical Foursquare notes, such as coconut etc. are of course there again, but take a back seat. The expected woody influence is counterbalanced by the sweet marsala cask finish. The finish is clear, but not overpowering. Everything is nicely balanced, alcohol still OK.

The Marsala becomes noticeable through deliciously sweet notes with cookies, berries, dried fruit, vanilla ... not a unique Foursquare. Not by a long shot. But still at a high level and easy to drink. You can buy it, but you don't have to.

Usual high quality with good barrel integration.