Foursquare Penultimus occupies the penultimate position in the Exceptional Cask Selection series, as the thirtieth release (Mark XXX). As its Latin name suggests, this bottling heralds the upcoming end of the collection, with Epilogue . It also marks a first in the series' history: it is the very first ECS bottling to utilize Spanish Moscatel casks , a raw material previously unseen at Foursquare. This edition, selected like its predecessors by Richard Seale , the distillery's master distiller and master blender, is aged for 15 years .
Penultimus is composed of two rums aged separately. The first underwent double aging: 10 years in ex-bourbon barrels, followed by 5 years in ex-Moscatel barrels. The second was aged for 15 years exclusively in ex-bourbon barrels. This blending maintains the classic Foursquare structure while incorporating a fruitier, more vinous dimension imparted by the Moscatel.
The two components were distilled using the house's usual method, combining a pot still and a continuous distillation column , before aging entirely in Barbados .
At bottling, as usual, no adjustments are made: no sugar, no coloring, no chill filtration. The rum is offered at its cask strength of 57% ABV.
