Doorly's 14 Year Old Rum (700ml)
Doorly's rums are made at the Foursquare Distillery, one of Barbados' oldest trading companies. Currently owned and operated by the 4th generation of the Seale family, Richard Seale remains the Master Distiller & blender. The distillery is situated in the south eastern quarter of the island in St. Phillip and built on the site of a former sugar factory dating back to the 1650s. This blend of pot and column still rums was aged in ex-bourbon casks, with a smaller portion matured in ex-Madeira casks. While it's not quite cask strength, at 48% it definitely promises more oomph than the entry level Doorly’s. No sugar or other sweeteners are added, which will also please purists.
Other reviews... The mid palate shows more of the Madeira influence. Notes of red wine and blackberries mingle alongside dark chocolate and some faint notes of marmalade. Finish wise we are left with a spicy and slightly heated end to the rum – white pepper and lots of ginger and a trace of cinnamon. The finish is very long and the rum lingers for a long time in the mouth. Lots of barrel char like flavour. Further sips seem to temper the more bitter and woody notes. More fruitiness becomes apparent. Once the palate adjusts the rum has a much better balance than the initial sip might lead you to believe. The extra ABV means this is a rum worth sitting down and spending some time with. Doorly’s XO you can almost swig straight from the bottle – you don’t want to do that with this. Sit down with it and appreciate it in small sips... For most other producers this would be the jewel in the crown. There best efforts. for Foursquare it’s just another great rum....The only people who would be disappointed with this rum are the nuggets that think Bumbu or Plantation XO are great Barbados rums. 4 Stars - thefatrumpirate.com
...Doorly's is one of Foursquare's brands. Colour: amber. Nose: not the first time that I have the impression that by using molasses and blending column and pot still, they often manage (not saying that was their goal) to create some kind of 'agricole' rum. This one's got the same kind of waxy polishes, slightly salty, almost olive-y touches, the slightly heady floralness, the crème brûlée, the tarte tatin, these slightly 'burnt' touches, this earthiness… Now, yes I know Barbadian rum existed way before the French started to make agricole rum, thanks to Napo and the British navy (or the other way 'round). Mouth: excellent, bold, salty, full of liquorice and smoke, cigars, burnt caramel, varnish and olives, some lavender (sweets), aniseed, caraway and cloves… I'm wondering if you wouldn't achieve some rather similar results if you would let some yellow chartreuse age for a decade or so in active wood. Like, in a proper ex-solera manzanilla butt. Seriously, I find this Doorly's just perfect and, perhaps, a little 'funkier' than the Foursquares. But not too sure about that part… Finish: long, with a little pepper, one olive, some orange juice and some caraway. Comments: I even like the blue parrot on the label. Is that an ara? What would the rum world do without parrots? In any case, this Doorly's was extremely convincing. 89 points - whiskyfun.com
Great Foursquare rum, intensive, interesting and very balanced. - rumratings.com