An interview with Richard Seale (Foursquare Distillery)

Welcome to this interview with Richard Seale, owner and fourth-generation of Foursquare Distillery in Barbados. Through a unique combination of heritage, innovation, and an uncompromising commitment to quality, Richard has helped establish Foursquare as one of the most respected names in Rum. Today, we explore his journey, his vision for the category, and what continues to drive him and Foursquare forward.

 1. As the fourth generation at the helm of Foursquare, how would you describe the contributions and defining moments of the generations before you?

Before my father we were one of many small Bridgetown wholesale merchants who blended and sold rum. My father made the significant changes, the most significant being moving our blending/ bottling operations outside of Bridgetown and several key acquisitions along the way. When he acquired the Martin Doorly brand in 1993, that made the development of Foursquare inevitable to meet the needs for maturing stock and for export.

2. You’ve spent many years immersed in the world of Rum. Which moments or influences have most shaped your understanding of what Rum can and should represent?

Coming to the UK to host masterclasses and attend UK Rum Fest in 2007 was instrumental. The opportunity to reach our audience first hand and show them a world of rum they knew little. They had naturally been shaped by a then handful of global brands which typically shared very little in common with what we actually drink back at home.

3. Foursquare has produced a wide range of expressions over the years. If you had to highlight one, or a particular style, that best captures the true DNA of the distillery, which would it be and why?

Well, I like to think they are have a common style not just of Barbados but of the distillery. The challenge is always to push the envelope of quality while staying true to the distillery style. Change for change sake is trite. We don’t experiment, we do not innovate, we just try to do things well.

4. Sustainability and responsible production are becoming increasingly important in the spirits industry. How is Foursquare integrating these principles into its operations today?

Barbados contributes a 0.00002 share of global emissions. We do not engage in virtue signalling. Sustainability is a massive global challenge, it needs holistic solutions on a global scale. Barbados has a great resource of solar energy and we make extensive use of it because it is rational to do so. We do not delude ourselves into believing we are a meaningful part of the solution just because of that Barbados has one of the most progressive labour regulatory environments. It is not utopia but it represents remarkable progress since self government in the 1950s and we should rightly proud of what we have achieved. What we do not need is the sanctimonious approval of foreign bodies because its convenient to believe all of the developing world can lumped together.

5. Barbados holds a distinctive place in the global Rum landscape. How do you see Foursquare contributing to both preserving the island’s Rum heritage and sharing it with an international audience?

I never understand the incoherence of boasting of one’s heritage and at the same moment claiming the need to innovate. Either you are proud of what you do, in which case do it well, or focus on change. We choose the former.

6. Looking ahead, what developments or opportunities in Rum production or global Rum culture excite you most in the coming years?

Making more rum, maturing it longer.