dominus noun
do·mi·nus | \ˈdämənəs\
plural domini \-ˌnē, -ˌnī \
Definition of dominus
1 : an owner as distinguished from a user
2 : a principal as distinguished from an agent
History and Etymology for dominus
Latin, lord, master
In the midst of chaos, I have found something that resembles peace. As I sit on my patio surrounded by the sounds of birds chirping and a squirrel running through leaves two floors below me, I take in the sunshine on the 57-degree day. It is hard to believe that tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Today is a day for reflection and I cannot think of a better way to do that than with a dram of Dominus. The seventh release from the Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selection.
As some of you may know; six months ago, my wife and decided to make a drastic change and leave our lives in Chicago and find something more meaningful in Nashville, TN. We were living the “American Dream” so to speak. We had careers in the fields that we enjoy. We had a four bedroom, 3 bath house in the suburbs and surrounded by our friends and family. However, something was missing. Happiness.
We found ourselves discontent with this “American Dream”. We found ourselves working more and more every week to keep up with the constant cost of home ownership. Now, we’re not blind, we knew full well that homes cost money. But you never really understand just how much money until you actually have one.
First, it was picking up extra hours to pay for all of this great stuff to furnish our house with. The fancy marble table, furnishing the guest rooms, plans for the “man cave”, new curtains and blinds for the windows, the patio furniture to entertain outside, new artwork for the walls. All the things that help define us and “us”.
Then came all of the repairs. The failing storm drains that caused the basement to flood during storms, the hidden roof leak the previous owners covered up (and of course insurance refused to cover), the front porch that collapsed on itself and of course rotting subfloor under the bathtub.
The more we worked, the more we became resentful. So much of our free time and hard-earned money just constantly dumped in a house that seemed to give nothing back. The experiences and joy that we got from travel and trying new restaurants seemed to become more and more seldom. Dream trips struck down at the roots because of a never-ending expense.
It was at this same time that we found ourselves becoming unhappy in our careers as well. My wife’s forever career had become a daunting marathon without end. 50 hours a week, physically demanding, holidays and a schedule that made a good night’s sleep all but impossible. My position became much of the same and I found myself in the proverbial “horse following a carrot” position. No matter how hard I worked and sacrifices I made; it just never seemed to be enough. And when it came time for a promotion or raise, the answer was always; “Well, let’s see what else you can do first”. All of this to pay for things in a house that we cannot enjoy because we are at work trying to earn extra money for the next expense.
Then at one point, it all seemed to pay off. I got a dream opportunity. The company I worked for knew I have an affinity for rum and liked what I was doing to bring the category into its own for the market. I was told that they couldn’t think of anyone else to go to South America and do their first selection of handpicked single barrel rums. I was floored. The catch, however, is that it could be at least a year before I would go.
And while I was thrilled and honored; I knew saying “yes” would be the worst possible decision for myself and my wife. I knew in my soul that if I took this opportunity, I would be stuck. I would be chasing this carrot for at least a year and would ultimately feel obligated to stay where I was, never pursue better opportunities. Discussing this with my wife that night we both knew it was time for a change. We knew we had to get out.
So, not long after that, we began taking steps to put our home on the market and make our move elsewhere. After making the necessary repairs, we had an offer on our house within 72 hours and closed a month after that. We sold off or donated a good chunk of our belonging, quit our jobs and made the move south. Nothing has ever felt freer.
To think all of this happened in less than a year.
FOURSQUARE DOMINUS
2018 was a huge year for Foursquare and the US rum market. We were fortunate to be graced by three new releases from their Exceptional Cask Selection. Today I am appreciating Dominus and how appropriate it is for me during this time of my life. At the time of this review, the bottle has been sitting open for about 5 months at shoulder level in the bottle.
This expression is a blend of pot and column still rum and comes with an age statement of “just” 10 years old. Spending three years of its life in ex-bourbon barrels and seven years in ex-cognac it is bottled at a cask strength of 56% abv and contains no additives.
Not much is known about what or how long these barrels have held cognac and as Master Distiller & Blender Richard Seale, as well as others, have inferred; it is just not important as long as the quality is there in the wood. One thing that is important to note however is in the differences of French oak vs American oak.
American oak is known for having a wider grain and tends to impart more flavors of vanilla, coconut, dill, spice, and chocolate. Conversely; French oak has a tighter grain, which paradoxically, is more porous and leads to higher level of evaporation as well as lighter vanilla flavors and more tannin and spice. This can obviously have a more intense effect on the final outcome of the spirit in a tropical aging environment than in a typical cool aging cellar in France.
COLOR
The color is absolutely stunning. As the sun cuts through the dry, clear winter air, it illuminates the liquid in the glass. The rum glows with a raw honey core and copper patina highlights.
NOSE
I was initially worried that I would not be able to get much on the nose while sitting outside. I was wrong. The moment the pour hit the glass, the air was perfumed with the unmistakable aroma of rum. At first, there wasn’t much outside of the faint aromas of banana peel and oak tannin. As the rum warmed in my hand, the complexities reveal themselves. The French oak subtly makes its debut. Notes of dried plum and holiday spice jump out of the glass with a delicate assertion. Next, there is an unmistakable aroma of flamed orange peel, graham cracker, and charred marshmallow.
PALATE
Rich. Spicy. Hot. The first couple of sips find oak and tannin taking the reigns above all else. Beneath the barrage of tannin, a dry dark fruit leather comes through. With the spicy character of the oak, it becomes something akin to Perique pipe tobacco. Because of the alcohol level, a couple of dashes of water are added. After doing so it brings out a decadent buttercream frosting note from the oak.
BODY
Astringent and quite biting, it pulls at the moisture around your gums. Water becomes key again as it brings out a silky character not typically associated with a straight spirit and typically found in classic cocktails using egg whites (think Ramos Gin Fizz or Whiskey Sour).
FINISH
As the rum dissipates off the palate, a dessert like flavor of milk chocolate and marzipan begin to evolve into notes of rooibos tea, banana peel, honey, and spicy clove.
OVERALL
First and foremost: This is NOT Criterion or Foursquare 2005 and that is okay. This rum is not a punch of rich or sweet flavors and that is okay. That is the idea. This ECS release is about elegance and delicacy. I think that is where the cognac barrels come into play. This is an expression that you want to sit down with and get to know. Take your time with it.
This bottle and the Foursquare brand came into my life at a very pivotal time. Richard Seale and the Foursquare brand have become a symbol for never compromising what you believe in. This ideology has had a monumental impact on my life over the last two years.
Living a template for someone else’s dream or belief will never be self-serving or fill the voids that comes from living a life that serves someone else’s dream. There is nothing easy about taking charge of yourself and living a life that you find meaningful and enjoyable and often times, it will lead to the resentment of others who take shortcuts to follow the template of someone else’s idea of success.
