Foursquare Mandamus & Redolent Review

I figured a nice Christmas gift to myself would be to become a little more up to date with the latest Foursquare rum distillery releases. Lucky me, a sweet little angel named Robin made this a possibility by giving me a couple of samples! The rums in question are Mandamus and Redolent. The latter being a Whisky Exchange exclusive.

Obviously there are many more recent releases than these two, but me and my wallet can’t keep up with them anymore. I’ve stepped away from that Foursquare searching and buying rat race a while ago. That decision actually provided me with some peace…..and money to spend on something else. This is also why I’m so happy with these samples, as I still love the opportunity to taste Richard Seale’s excellent rum creations. 

Mandamus is a 16 year old rum that has been aged for ten years in ex-bourbon barrels and an additional six in ex-port casks. Bottled at 57%. Redolent is two years younger and has spent time in ex-bourbon and ex-black muscat casks. Sounds familiar? You might remember those specs from a very delicious rum called Equidem. In my review of that particular one I mentioned it being “the best Foursquare release in a long time”. How are the two different? Redolent and Equidem are the same age. On paper the only difference is 1% in abv (62% vs 61%). However, there can be differences in casks, the blends that went into the casks and time aged in one or the other. I asked Richard and he confirmed it’s been aged for 5 years in ex-bourbon and 9 in ex-black muscat, which is the same as Equidem. He also mentioned they are “different blends of the rum”.

I have an open bottle of Equidem for the perfect comparison. However, since I’m moving, it’s buried in storage somewhere. Damn!! 

Nosing

Foursquare Mandamus

Your typical Foursquare nose with oak, brown sugar, coconut, light chocolate, almonds, marzipan, a little candle wax…intertwined with sweet berries, raspberry, blackberry, cherries. Nice and creamy.

Foursquare Redolent

Oak, leather, coconut, vanilla, apricot, candle wax, dried grass, blackberry, light pine, hint of glossy magazine, raisins, strong on caramel. It’s slightly more subdued than Mandamus.

Tasting

Foursquare Mandamus

The alcohol is pretty strong at first. It needs some time in the glass and/or a few drops of water to improve. Quity oaky, coconut, vanilla, caramel (gave me a Demerara vibe for a second), light tobacco. The sweet berries are struggling to overcome the oak, but they are there and they are nice. Finish is fairly long and delicate, somewhat underwhelming. 

Foursquare Redolent

Oak, vanilla, leather, tobacco, light mint, blackberry, nice amount of wood spice, coconut, light pine and lots of sweetness coming through. The finish is fairly long and has a bit of a punch to it with as good as no bitterness.

Conclusion

I did this tasting in two sessions. Most of the notes came from the first one, when I had no idea Redolent had spent time in ex-black muscat casks. I didn’t do any research before tasting it. I prefer it that way. Interestingly, when comparing it to my notes on Equidem, I found something grassy in both of them. Still not sure what that’s all about. Overall, Redolent seems to have a bit more of an ex-bourbon vibe than Equidem. The latter feels like more creative freedom was applied to it, resulting in a higher dose of fruitiness, which makes it stand out a little more. Perhaps even a slight step outside of the regular Foursquare realm. Redolent is back in line, safer. Very delicious, but without some of the X factor of Equidem. However, I’m comparing Redolent to my memory of Equidem, and since my memory is positively unreliable in general, it might be slightly different when tasting them next to each other. I hope I can do that one day.

I love the nose of Mandamus. Very pleasant and lots going on. Unfortunately it’s fairly hot on the palate and there is a tad too much oak for my liking. I think I would have loved Mandamus very much if it wasn’t as oaky. I understand that good flavour integration only happens with proper time in a barrel. Which is why Foursquare's second maturations in casks other than ex-bourbon are as long as they are. They aren't the typical six month finishes, where the port or cognac flavours haven't had enough time to mingle and date each other and are basically floating on top of the ex-bourbon notes. The downside of this additional time in cask is the increased amount of oak on the palate. It's why I keep wanting to drink ten to twelve (or perhaps fourteen) year old cask strength Foursquare rum. Even if that means it's only been matured in ex-bourbon barrel, which they do really well (think Foursquare 2005 and 2007 for example). It's a tough balance to nail, but this conundrum is in excellent hands with Richard and his team.

Merry Christmas!

Scores

Foursquare Mandamus – 83

Foursquare Redolent – 89

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Click here for the complete list of reviews.