Equiano

Description

Behold the Equiano! A collaboration between two LEGENDS of the rum world (Richard Seal and Ian Burrell), rum from two LEGENDARY distilleries that combined have more medals than we can list.

Equiano Rum is a blend of molasses-based rums from the African island of Mauritius (Gray’s Distillery) and the Caribbean Barbados (Foursquare) rums. The African component is column distilled and aged for 10 years in French Limosin Oak and ex-cognac casks, and the Caribbean component is 8 years old and matured in ex-bourbon American oak. 100% tropical maturation, bottled in 700ml at 43%.

The Equiano brand is a collaboration between two legends of the rum-game. Richard Seale – Master distiller and blender from Foursquare – needs little introduction. Since 2016, Richard Seale has earned an impressive 11 ‘Rum Producer of the Year’ titles across two of the most prestigious spirits competitions in the world — the IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition) and the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) — firmly establishing himself and Foursquare as arguably the finest rum producers on the planet.

The second partner-in-crime in the Equiano story – Ian Burrell – is a renowned figure in the spirits industry, celebrated as the world’s only recognized Global Rum Ambassador. With over three decades of experience, he has dedicated his career to promoting rum worldwide. In 2007, he founded the UK RumFest, the world’s first international rum festival, which has inspired similar events globally, including in Miami, Berlin, Paris, and Hong Kong. Burrell’s passion for rum has led him to conduct masterclasses and seminars across all seven continents, including establishing a rum shack in Antarctica in 2013!

Our Tasting Notes

Nose: Lots of fruity notes – both slightly funky and stewed fruit aromas. There’s nice mix of French and American oak notes readily apparent – lovely notes of dry biscuit spices from the French and floral and vanilla from the American.

Palate: Rich mouthfeel with brief pepper burst (especially on very first neat sip) more of those lovely sweet spiced fruit flavours – but there’s a also granny-smith apple crispness there as well = not quite astringent, but just a pinch of tartness.

Finish: Takes a surprising, yet exciting, turn towards dryness in  the finish. Tannin-ey – Oakey notes emerge, some pepper re-appears and there’s some liquorice, dark chocolate and coffee bean for good measure!

For me, this is a ‘with a good hunk of ice of a hot arvo’ rum. That slight dryness just works for this guy with a bit of condensation on the outside of the glass. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great neat (my notes are written on neat measures) – nice and complex with lots of good things to discovering every sip – but this is a great one to let a bit of ice melt in a good double nip and taste the progression. I think the RumChicks are going to love this in a Daquiri – I predict that slight dryness is going to work brilliantly up against the lime.