Key to Seale’s approach is his blending, prior to maturation, of higher-strength ‘light’ column-still rums with ‘heavy’ pot-still rums. By then changing the ratios of each component, he creates a wider palette of flavours. Seale happily admits he can’t tell what the pot-still ratio is in any of the final bottlings; it’s the sum of the parts that is important. ‘I’m not transparent,’ he says. ‘I don’t want to be. I want to be authentic and have integrity, but I don’t want to tell you everything, because I want to create some mystery. I don’t want to reduce things down to a laundry list of specifications.’

This extends to the maturation. On paper, there seems to be a template – aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Madeira casks (and sometimes ex-Sherry, Port, or Cognac) – but it would be wrong to think there’s a standard recipe. Some start in ex-bourbon, others in ex-Madeira. The time spent in each will vary; the component rums will be different. The casks used also range from first-fill – fresh from a bourbon distillery or Madeira house, for example – but second- and third-fill are also used, further widening the flavour spectrum.

But these are not finishes, whereby a highly active cask is used for a short time to boost flavour. Instead, Seale is adapting the French technique of élevage: ageing in one type of cask, then transferring to another to add layers of flavour and structure. ‘I’ve never bought casks with the intention of finishing,’ says Seale. ‘Every cask is bought for maturation. There are two misleading terms people use: experimentation and innovation. These casks are expensive. I’m not experimenting with that! People say I’m innovating with Madeira. Do you know how long Madeira has been shipped to Barbados? Since the 17th century. I’m not the first guy!’

Notably, none of the rums is overly wooded or dried out. ‘In the past, when a rum got to 10 years old it was taken out and put in a vat. Now we put it in another barrel, because we match the rum with the cask and then know how to manage the wood. When people say, “We can’t age rum for a long time,” they are just advertising that they don’t know how to do it.’

The series of rums shows an evolution of thinking and acceptance. ‘In the early days, I was selling to whisky people and trying to convert them. I know my audience is different now, so there’s a different feeling putting rum together. In the early days, you couldn’t give them some big cask-strength funky pot-still rum; it had to be something light and naturally sweet. It’s all changed now – different audience.’ The remit has been widened, and the rums can be more challenging.

Tasting back through the rums is taking a look at the drink’s history in Barbados: blending, creativity and, most of all, flavour. Those grounding principles of balance, complexity, character, structure and length are all there. They can be bold and voluptuous or more linear and restrained, but they’re all Foursquare – some of the most fascinating rums in the world.

Tasting notes

The following 14 bottlings are from batches of pot- and column-still rums that were blended at birth. The ratios of the two styles vary, as does the maturation regime. The Velier range is bottled for the eponymous Italian importer and available in the EU. It tends to be in smaller quantities than the ECS (Exceptional Cask Series), which is available in all of Foursquare’s export markets. It started in 2008 with a 10-year-old column still. And now…? Read on.