Barbados 2006  -  16 Years Old Single Cask, Foursquare  -  Transcontinental Rum Line by La Maison du Whisky

Here lies a bottle that whispers of trade winds and old-world craftsmanship - a single cask Foursquare distilled in Barbados in 2006, drawn from its long sleep after 16 years, and bottled by the ever-curious palate of La Maison du Whisky under the Transcontinental Rum Line. This is not your entry-level rum. This is a conversation piece. A travelogue in glass. A coming together of two rum philosophies - the disciplined Bajan purity of Foursquare and the adventurous French curation of LMDW.

Let's begin in the rum-soaked heart of the Caribbean - Barbados, the island many consider the spiritual birthplace of rum. Foursquare Distillery, under the quietly legendary Richard Seale, is a beacon of transparency and tradition. No added sugar, no flavouring sorcery, just distillation truth. Pot still meets column still here in a kind of alchemical duet, with long tropical ageing that speaks of sun-baked oak and salt-laced breezes. The result? Rums with structure, tension, and soul - never flashy, always profound.

This 2006 cask is pure Bajan pedigree. Expect toasted coconut and rich vanilla on the nose, with a hint of cigar box and roasted pineapple. The palate is taut, dry, and layered - oak-forward without being bitter, fruit-driven without being sweet. There's a dusty cocoa bitterness, dried tropical fruit, and that quintessential Foursquare backbone - clean, elegant, uncompromising. Sixteen years in the tropics has not mellowed this spirit into softness, but rather burnished it into something regal.

Now turn the lens to La Maison du Whisky, whose Transcontinental Rum Line is all about exploration. They're like rum cartographers, tracing flavour across oceans, bottling what others overlook, respecting terroir but not enslaved to it. Their mission here is curation - not altering the rum, but letting it sing in a different key. The decision to release this as a single cask - unblended, unadorned - is a mark of reverence. They didn't want to polish it, only present it.

What's fascinating is the contrast in approach. Foursquare is methodical, almost stoic. LMDW is intuitive, expressive. And yet, this bottle is their common ground - precision meets poetry. A rum like this doesn't need garnish. Sip it neat, maybe with a splash of spring water to stretch the legs. Pair it with a Maduro cigar, or a quiet hour. This is not for daiquiris - this is for reflection.

Collectors, take note - bottles like this won't last long. The cask is gone, the moment is bottled. And for those just stepping beyond the supermarket shelf into the world of serious rum - this is a benchmark. A spirit with history in its bones and no gimmicks in its blood.

If you've known and loved Diplomatico, El Dorado, or even Appleton 21 - this is your next step into the deep end. Welcome to grown-up rum.