Velier Foursquare Absolutio 2009 15yr 62%

"First impression: Oh yes!!! After the failure with the Raconteur, which I personally didn't like that much, only the Absolutio. The combination of bourbon and port barrel works really well in my opinion. The alcohol is perfectly integrated. Nice and soft and velvety to drink, beautiful dark color and pretty curtains in the glass. At 179€, it's also cheaper than its predecessor. From what I remember of the Velier Foursquare Crosstasting, it stands out from the others and would be at the top of my list. I think this will be my new favorite Foursquare."

"Today there are two Foursquare: 1. covenant: This one tastes like it looks. Lots of dark fruit, somewhat leathery and dry on the palate. The cask influence is very strong, almost too strong. You have to know what you're getting into, but if you like it, you won't be disappointed. The alcohol is well integrated. Delicious Foursquare that I could imagine really enjoying from time to time! 2nd Absolutio: Awesome piece! There are no surprises on the nose or palate in terms of aromas. Mouth-filling, starts silky and pleasantly oily towards the finish. Pleasantly (dry) woody and chocolaty-fruity, great balance. The finish is very long and offers an interplay between dried fruit wrapped in chocolate and wood. I particularly like rums with these long, great finishes and that's what makes this rum for me! Wonderful, now it's "Hunters must hunt" Many thanks to Schnubbii!"

"The color in the glass is already very impressive! Deep mahogany with red-brown reflections. The nose is full of juicy dark raisins, fully ripe banana and spice. The port cask is also easily recognizable (heavy sweet port). Also reminds me of maraschino cherries. The port cask has rounded off the rum very well and, in my opinion, fits in very well with the Foursquare profile. On the palate, the rum is consistent with the nose. The medium to long finish brings no surprises, everything is very balanced, round and pleasing. I'm not quite sure how to rate this rum. The overall impression is very good in any case. However, the port influence seems quite dominant to me. It's as if Foursquare had been mixed with port (wet cask?). Compared to other FS I know, it is very expressive, intense and round."

"Here's another Foursquare that I like. I'm not a fan otherwise and can't get anything out of most bottlings. My previous thesis: "they all taste the same and are already overpriced on release." I'm also not a fan of port finishes. But here the finish fits in perfectly."

"The nose invites you to explore the aromas again and again - in addition to the depth of the tropically aged rums, the ex-port barrel adds a very pleasant fruity note that creates an extremely rounded overall picture of wood, coconut, vanilla sugar, dried plum and spices. On the palate, the alcohol comes through more clearly without appearing unbalanced. Crisp spiciness, a very appealing blend of caramel, vanilla, coconut and dark chocolate as well as rather gentle port wine aromas flank the barrel influence, which is complemented by a light tobacco-like note on the finish. This is indeed a great pleasure and catapults the Absolutio - nomen est omen - into the absolute top class of the Foursquares I know. Very tasty!"

"Very good Port-FS, hardly any bitterness as is usually the case with some Port-Casks. Relatively unspectacular finish. Very soft and flattering if you give it time. As always, those who like Foursquare will like this one. If you don't like FS, you won't be convinced by this one either."

"The nose is simply great. All the FS markers are there, plus a slight port wine note that is not too intrusive. Nice and creamy and round on the palate with a top integrated ABV. The finish is also subtly port-like. For me, one of the best FS. Edit: After the 3rd tasting, I'm no longer quite as euphoric as I was at first. Definitely needs a lot of time in the glass to develop. In direct comparison with some other FS bottlings, the taste does stand out somewhat."

"Rich and full flavor - long aftertaste. Is it worth the money - that can be debated, but it is worth its points 👍🏻"

"The Absolutio has to prove itself against the Patrimonio and the Sassafrass. All three are matured differently, so it's interesting to see the differences. The Absolutio 10 Bourbon / 5 Port, the Patrimonio 14 Bourbon / Sherry (blend), the Sassafrass 3 Bourbon / 11 Cognac. In terms of color, the Absolutio is the darkest, followed by the Patrimonio, the Sassafrass is significantly lighter than both. On the nose, the Absolutio has cherry wood, also quite fruity (red fruits), toffee, dusty cocoa powder. The Patrimonio goes in a similar direction, but seems a little lighter (something like orange zest comes through). The Sassafrass is clearly different, much more oaky and vanilla. The Absolutio is very present on the palate with its high ABV, plus a strong spiciness, coffee and toasted aromas. Conclusion: successful balance, the port cask does not dominate due to the long bourbon ageing. The Absolutio can definitely hold its own with its two rivals!"

"Very dark color and great nose - relief after pouring. The port wine influence is not too strong and does not overpower the rum - in fact it complements it. Dark, raisin, dried fruit, coconut, cask, cocoa, vanilla, varnish with spices some praline, coffee and port. Very rich and dark, but still typically Foursquare. A great success. On the palate, the promise of the nose is kept. Possibly still something pleasantly nutty. Convinces me right away much more than I would have expected from port wine double maturation. The alcohol is very well integrated and the mouthfeel is soft and velvety. The question now is how it will fare with a little oxidation. Especially with wine finishes, the rum often changes a lot in my opinion."

"I like it very much! Typical Foursquare profile with a clear coconut and port here. Unfortunately, the proportion of columns is a little too high for me. If there were a pure pot from FS, this would certainly raise FS to another level."

"Incredibly tasty and dangerously sweet Foursquare. First comes the Foursquare with coconut macaroons, cinnamon cookies, Medjoul dates and banana. Then the port finish comes in full broadside and adds beautiful notes of cinnamon, orange peel, herbs, caramel and dried fig, but does not completely dominate the rum. Really very, very tasty and a lot of fun! For me - even if it is developed differently - on a par with the Plenipotenzario. At least in terms of the fun factor😃💯💣🇧🇧"

"YummY🤤🤤 For me this is one of the best 5 rum from foursquare! The alcohol is also better integrated as is the most bottling from them. I really liked this blend! For me Foursquare and the Port finish is just a perfect match😎🥃"

"The aging in port cask gives it a darker side than the other foursquare coffees! Unlike the other coffees, dried fruits and dates come into play with a nice vinous part! As usual, the balance of the rum is perfect..hallmark of this distillery!"

"9:On the nose, the first impression we get is the classical Bajan spectre, with all coconut, butterscotch, dried fruits, bourbon touch, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, toasted wood... All very tempting 😋. Going into more roasted/medicinal waters with roasted nuts, baking spices, some pastry, milk chocolate, port and nail polish, nicely balanced. Aeration gives us, strangely, glue note, then goes in the territory of vegetal notes with fennel and celery with some flowery touch, becoming more dry with peanut note after a nice rest🙂. 8,5:On the palate, the attack is strong, first a bit unbalanced as it is astrigent, salty, spicy. When the tornado calms down, we get butterscotch, roasted nuts, chocolate, coconut, dried fruits, vanilla, the wood is very toasted, it quickly becomes dry and a bit bitter. Out of a nowhere it is citrusy with bourbon touch and becoming more and more roasted with some metallic note and after a while the wood is a bit charred. Well, expected more.... 8,5:The finish is full of toasted wood, dry, with some dried fruits, caramel, burnt sugar, here we also get some charred wood after..."