HOUSE OF RUM BARBADOS 2006 – UK RUMFEST 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Some bottles are interesting because of what’s inside them. Others are interesting because of the story behind them.
This one has both.
House of Rum released this Barbados 2006 Single Cask to celebrate the 20th anniversary of UK RumFest – and appropriately, the rum itself has been matured for 20 years.
Distilled at Foursquare Distillery in Barbados in 2006, this is a single-cask rum bottled at cask strength at 56.5% ABV.
And as someone who has been attending UK RumFest since 2010, there was obviously plenty here to get my attention.
🥃 A 20-YEAR-OLD FOURSQUARE
The age statement alone doesn’t tell the whole story. This rum spent its first 14 years maturing tropically in Barbados in American oak before being brought to Scotland, where it continued ageing for approximately another six years in a refill Bourbon cask.
That distinction matters. Fourteen years in the heat of Barbados represents substantial tropical maturation. The subsequent years in Scotland would have developed the rum much more slowly.
So although this is a 20-year-old rum, it hasn’t simply spent two decades ageing under identical conditions.
And with Foursquare as the distillery behind it, expectations are inevitably going to be high.
🥃 THE NOSE
The first impression is rich and mature. Unmistakably Foursquare – my last 16 years of visiting Rumfest have not been wasted. Vanilla comes through strongly, followed by nutmeg and clove, with plenty of dried fruit underneath.
Raisins, figs and dates sit alongside touches of orange peel, while the oak brings a drier, more seasoned character. Leave it in the glass and there’s more to find – toasted oak, warming spice and hints of toffee. At 56.5% ABV there’s obviously some alcohol presence, but this isn’t a rum I’d rush.
Give it some time.
🥃 THE PALATE
This is where the richness really develops. Butterscotch and vanilla arrive first, followed by darker cocoa nib and chocolate notes. There’s plenty of dried fruit again, with raisin, fig and dried orange sitting beneath layers of oak and baking spice. Nutmeg and clove become increasingly noticeable as it develops.
It’s full-bodied and powerful, as you’d expect at cask strength, but there’s much more going on here than alcohol and oak. After 20 years of maturation, the interesting question is always whether the wood has started to dominate the spirit. For me, that’s one of the most fascinating things to explore with a rum of this age. And I am happy to report there is a happy balance between the oak influence and the natural flavours of the rum.
🥃 THE FINISH
Long, warming and increasingly dry. The sweeter butterscotch and vanilla notes gradually disappear, leaving cocoa, toasted oak, nutmeg, clove and peppery spice. The oak hangs around, as you’d expect, but so does the darker fruit.
It’s a finish that encourages you to take your time rather than immediately reaching for another sip.
🥃 THE DETAILS
Producer: House of Rum
Distillery: Foursquare Distillery
Country: Barbados
Vintage: 2006
Age: 20 Years
Maturation: 14 years tropical maturation in Barbados, followed by approximately 6 years in Scotland
Cask: American oak / refill Bourbon cask
ABV: 56.5%
Type: Single Cask
Bottles: 255 (I have number 14)
Release: UK RumFest 20th Anniversary
🥃 FINAL THOUGHTS
This is the sort of bottle I find particularly interesting. Not simply because it’s old. Not simply because it’s from Foursquare. And not simply because it’s a limited single-cask release.
It’s the combination of all of those things – together with the connection to 20 years of UK RumFest – that makes it particularly special.
I’ve said before that older rum isn’t automatically better rum. Twenty years on a label doesn’t guarantee quality. What matters is what has happened to the spirit during those years and, ultimately, how it tastes in the glass. And that’s exactly why bottles like this are so interesting to explore.
💬 HAVE YOU TRIED IT?
It will be at UK RumFest for the 20th anniversary. Make sure you try it!
And if you’ve tried this House of Rum Barbados 2006, I’d be interested to hear what you thought of it. More importantly, when you’re choosing a rum, how much does an age statement influence you?
Let me know.
🍹 Drink More Rum!
