Velier Foursquare Raconteur 2006

The nose is very nice once opened, very indulgent on the palate, with a strong chocolate presence and a little spiciness. The finish isn't long enough for me, which is the weak point that stops me from giving it a 9. In summary, my tasting notes: On the nose: Dried fruits, Sherry, Woody, Glue, Tropical fruits On the palate: Creamy, Dark chocolate, Sherry, Dried fruits, Spicy, Tropical fruits The finish leans more towards: Chocolate, Tannins, Spicy

Nice foursquare! but for me not quite at the level of destino, absolutio or plenipotenzario. A little too beastly, but still delicious 😁the oloroso cask intensifies the nutty notes significantly! The alcohol integration could be much better, otherwise the score might be higher.

23.08.2025 Retasting celebrating a IV charms birthday. ---------------- #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.

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.

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.

Velier FS (+ a fee spected other contenders) blind cross tasting: Honestly, the results here were very close. The Belier bottlings display a very high quality thourgout the range. Triptych and Pleni came out on top for me closely followed by Destino. I was somewhat surprised, that Sassafras and 2006 came out rather at the bottom, while I enjoyed both very much on their own. Raconteur also quite low in the ranking with Principia clearly at the bottom.

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.

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.

I find it extremely good! Here a 17 year tropical maturation with nice chocolate and coconut notes come together with a great oloroso finish with complementary fruity notes. Must taste soon with my Foursquare favorites Hereditas and Destino.

Edit: The Swell and the Barbados 2006 Flag Series have been added to the big crosstasting of the Velier bottlings. Unfortunately it has not yet been possible to get a sample of the 70th. In general, it can be said that there were no major differences on the nose when flying blind. However, there are recognizable differences in the taste itself. In my opinion, however, three clearly stand out and bring up the rear. Still too sharp-edged at the back for me, a little more intense in terms of aromas compared to the ECS, but very questionable for the price. I did buy another bottle for my wife, but I probably wouldn't have gone for it again on my own. After it has breathed longer or with a few drops of water, it becomes more accessible

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!

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.

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 👍😁

8,9:On the nose, the first impressions are going towards the classical Bajan range with coconut, dried fruits, caramelized, bourbon touch, woody, baking spices, as cinnamon, nutmeg, glue, underneath we notice some tropical fruits with passion fruit and banana. Darker notes are coming from sherry maturation and are also nicely roasted, as milk chocolate, roasted nuts. There is also some metallic note and some dryness.Aeration brings out even darker notes with roasted nuts, leather, cocoa powder, smokiness and even coffee, as vanilla expresses here a bit intensively. Balanced and harmonious..... 8,6:On the palate, the attack is pretty strong with spiciness, wood, nuts, bourbon notes with yellow fruits and buttery caramel, pastries and dried fruits, as dried dates, chocolate, candied fruits. Now it becomes more dry, the wood is toasted, as coconut, we notice tannic character and citrus as it is a bit astringent. Later some medicinal notes come out, metallic and iodine, is a bit smoky and salty, bitterness cannot be overlooked. 8,5:The finish is long, dry, with lots of toasted wood, citrus, tannins, dried fruits, is roasted with burnt and caramelized sugar, warm with sweet spices. In the end, there is some leather... Edit:8.6.25, 😃

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.