Looking for a rum produced by a family company that respects traditional methods? Then look no further. Foursquare is a family-owned distillery that has been masterfully managed by the Seale family since it was first founded in the 19th century. The distillery is located on the island of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea. The story goes that in 1883 Reginald Leon Seale decided to learn the art of rum blending. He then created his first company in 1926, lending his initials to the business name, R.L. Seale & Co. At the time, Barbados could not market its own rum, which was instead sold to bottlers and other independent brands. The distillery was handed from father to son, until Foursquare was built in 1996 on the site of the former sugar refinery and distillery of the same name. Rums are produced at the distillery from diluted molasses, and fermented with South African yeasts. Foursquare quickly established a strong reputation for its ex-bourbon cask maturations.

Foursquare Principia is a rum distilled in 2008 and aged in bourbon casks for three years, then in sherry casks for six years. It was bottled at cask strength in 2017 in collaboration with Velier and is a limited edition of 5,400 bottles. Velier was founded in Genoa by Casimir Chaix in 1947. It was originally a small, family-run business specializing in the import and distribution of wine and spirits. Luca Gargano, a former representative for Saint James and serious rum collector and enthusiast, bought the business in 1986 and began bottling whisky first in 1992 and then rum in 1996. After his legendary bottlings of Demerara rum (Guyana) and Caroni (Trinidad), Gargano extended his exploration of Caribbean rum into other territories, including Barbados, Jamaica, Haiti and Marie-Galante. Rums selected by Velier are only ever aged in a tropical climate, which explains both their concentration and the high angels’’ share. They are generally bottled at cask strength or just below.