Velier Foursquare Raconteur 2006

Oh wow! This foursquare is really crazy! Balance and mouthiness from start to finish! The many years in barrel and the oloroso finish give it a beautiful complexity and flavors that I love! You can't ask for more from a rum!

Overall a fantastic and very complex rum. We were some friends teaming up at Cane Rum Society in Stockholm to celebrate Foursquare Appreciation Day. After our planned tasting of four different Foursquare ECS’s led by our friend the Swedish importer, Lars Renbjer, we went on with two Foursquare Velier releases. First out was the Raconteur the 8th rum in the collaboration between Luca Gargano of Velier and Richard Seale of Foursquare. Raconteur is a blend of rums distilled in 2006 in Coffey column stills and double copper retort pot stills. The first rum in the blend was aged in ex-bourbon casks for 17 years, while the second benefited from a double maturation: 5 years in ex-bourbon casks, then 12 years in old oloroso sherry barrels. This release, of 4800 bottles, is the oldest offered in the Foursquare Velier series.

Then it was time for this exciting Foursquare 🥃 - The taste is very strong and rich in the mouth with notes of burnt caramel, spices and tea - it has a long and tasty aftertaste - I think this Raconteur is very well balanced and is definitely one of my favorites among Foursquare 👍😁

Really nice foursquare profile with tropical aging! The oloroso cask is notable and well integrated, without overwhelming. The alcohol is perfect integrated, what makes this one a really good sipper.

Rum tasting number 100! 🥳 so why not try something slightly special like the Raconteur. A fantastic foursquare, I really like what they put out. It doesn't really go beyond the ECS rums I've tried tried but very good indeed. A great nose, Full bodied, creamy, spicy and I get vanilla, chocolate and caramel on the palate, coconut? Some fruits as well. Powerfull but well integrated. I'm not sure that it deserves all the velier hype that goes with it but it's a great rum. Medium to long finish. Would be interesting to do a comparison tasting with the origional 2006.

In the nose much fruitier and a little lighter than the Destino. Great aroma! On the palate creamy, spicy and somewhat edgy. Very good, but the alcohol is integrated in the Destino but again ne number better. The Oloroso maturation is noticeable, but not too dominant. Very good Foursquare, but to my taste does not reach the epic quality of the Destino.

A lovely Foursquare that opens with an intense, gourmand nose of red fruit and raisin aromas. Pineapple and coconut are part of the scenery, but greediness returns with warm spices (nutmeg, vanilla, sweet pepper) and milk chocolate, topped with caramel and a hint of crème brûlée. Notes of honey and burnt sugar echo these sweet, generous notes, but are counterbalanced by a smoky, roasted touch and a hint of glue that add complexity to the nose. Not revolutionary, but very pleasant and controlled. The palate is warm and spicy. Vanilla, nutmeg and pepper follow, accompanied by chocolate, caramel and hazelnuts. The warmth returns with notes of tobacco and smoke, giving power to the palate. Bourbon and coconut bring out the sweetness, accentuated by dried and exotic fruits. The profile is powerful yet well integrated. The finish is long, with a mellow, gourmand framework on the Foursquare markers, as well as a more atypical touch of leather and smoke. A rum that breaks away a little from the traditional Foursquare spirit, with beautiful fruity and smoky notes, a nice roundness and which is very controlled despite its intensity.

For me one of the best Foursquare bottlings to date. I really enjoy drinking it. Everything you would expect is there. Creamy, spicy, slightly toasty, a hint of smoky flavors. The Foursquare markers are there, it's round but complex and powerful. It also has a good amount of esters. Very good rum.

I was surprised to see the 61% ABV, as the rum is real smooth. Very well integrated. I'm getting dried fruit and oak in the nose, and from the notes I got raisin, coconut, oak and a long aftertaste, with spicy hints

Massive milk chocolate on the nose. Otherwise typical Fourquare. Round, balanced, not too complex, alcohol well integrated. As expected, a very good rum. Craft top and very drinkable. New territory? No. Lines up well-behaved in the second quartile. Thanks to Bonn for the sample! Edit: Now leisurely the rest of the sample. Immediately after pouring it is a bit more complex and becomes round and balanced after about 30 minutes. Must say that it is one of the better Fourquares, goes in the direction of Plenipotenziario (Mango), without reaching its class.

#4160 Finally got home after 4 days in Berlin. The number of this tasting is not in the right order, but I'll just continue from here when I add the rums sampled in Berlin 😊 This one is an OK rum, but not the best they've done. Fruity with nice well integrated wood and a lovely spicy palate. The caramel is light as is the glue note on the nose. Long warm finish. Draws thick slow moving curtains and the empty glass is really nice and I can pick up some chocolate, floral and light medicinal notes.

today's battle: the 2006/17yr Raconteur (5 yr ex-bourbon + 12 yr ex-oloroso) against the 2006/14yr Sassafras (3yr ex-bourbon + 11yr cognac). The differences are not soooo big now (isn't that the case with all FS 🫢), both with vanilla / barrel, the coconut markers, both very drinkable...the Raconteur seems to me but still a nuance more mature and round, although that does not necessarily appeal to me more (old cocoa powder and orange come to mind). With the Sassafras, I like the slightly more 'angularity' and also the slightly more fruitiness. On the finish, the Sassafras also has a nice chocolaty, caramel sweetness that I miss in the Raconteur. But both are clearly the top FS shelf!

Nice foursquare! but for me not quite at the level of destino or plenipotenzario. A bit beastly, but still really tasty 😁the oloroso cask clearly intensifies the nutty notes! The alcohol integration could be a little better, otherwise the score might be higher.

Excellent Foursquare with a lot of depth. Certainly belongs to the best Foursquares next to Sassafras and Pleni. Needs some time in the glass, but then delivers great. The sherry note is also not as dominant as in the Principia, but rather acts as a pleasant complement. Unfortunately expensive, but that's life.