LouisianaLonghorn
Doorly's 12 Year Rum
Aged Rum — Barbados
Reviewed
August 27, 2020 (edited August 16, 2021)
I'm indebted to this community. Truly. Between the pandemic and the summer heat, my heart just hasn't been as much into whiskey as it usually is. I thought a change of pace in order, so why not try rum. From my limited rabbit hole plunge, it's pretty clear that the rum world is filled with just as many passionate anoraks as the whiskey world is. Also, I'm grateful to @Soba45 @cascode @Ctrexman and @ContemplativeFox and @jonwilkinson7309 (sorry if I forgot anybody) for all your fine suggestions. I'm a bonafide Foursquare fanboy now.
Now this rum is bananas. Literally! On the nose the first thing I get is bananas, particularly green bananas, along with plantains. The 12+ years in the barrel have also given it some lovely bourbon caramel and vanilla notes, along with some subtle brown sugar. The madeira cask gives it a dry wine quality, and the port casks leave some subtle berries. No sulphur or hogo (not that I mind such things), and a noticeable lack of ethanol. Such an enticing nose!
As you drink it, you know it's a rum, but your brain is tricked into thinking it's a bourbon. The barrel shows up here, with some elements of tannic char and the caramelized wood sugars. You can taste the oak and the age. All I can think is that it's remarkable that after 12 years in a barrel this rum didn't become over oaked. Here in Texas they age stuff for 36 months and it tastes like sucking on a barrel stave sometimes. And this finish! This must be the longest finish, clocking in at well over 2 minutes, on a 40% spirit of any kind I've ever tried. It moves in waves of fruit and spice, almost reminiscent of a hybrid between a high rye bourbon and a highland single malt.
This is exceptional. And as a bonus, there's no added sugar, an age statement, and it was only $23! Given the age statement, along with the multiple (expensive!) casks it aged in, and the fact that I've tried single malts at 3 and 4 times that price that weren't half as satisfying as this rum, I'd say they're doing some damn fine work at the Foursquare distillery, and I look forward to exploring more of their products in the future. I might stick to the Doorly's and R.L. Seale line for the time being, and squirrel away a bottle of Sagacity for a special occasion. Thanks again to y'all for your recommendations. Cheers!
23.0
USD
per
Bottle
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@BeppeCovfefe Haha. Not a bad combo. I went through my gin and tonic/quinine phase a few years ago. If I recall correctly, Bombay sapphire had a L.E./S.R. botanicals release that was legit. Couldn’t get enough of that with Canada Dry or Schweppses tonic water. These days it seems Hendricks & Monkey 47 gins are king. Would be interesting to see if any of the whiskey distilleries will try a gin cask finish.
My "change of pace" was getting back into gin,, and tonic... WITH QUININE
@WhiskeyLonghorn Merci beaucoup!
@Anthology also this doesn’t taste anything like that Pike Creek disaster. That was super saccharine sweet. The Doorly’s is miles apart from that in the best way.
@Anthology I’m a rum newbie myself. I picked this one up because of generous community recommendation and it isn’t cloying or sweet at all. Lots of nice bourbon notes. I’d start here, and if you like it, move on to the more expensive Foursquare expressions. If you don’t like it, you’re only out $25.
Nice review! I haven’t been much of a rum guy myself. I find the taste too sweet medicinal/“minerally” in a cloying way. The 10yr old rum cask-finished Pike Creek I tasted (see review) left much to be desired. I have been considering dipping my toe in the rum world starting with a Foursquare product based on reputation (currently eyeing Nobiliary). @WhiskeyLonghorn Any tips?
@ContemplativeFox thanks for the info. Planning to grab a bottle of Doorlys soon, hopefully this weekend
@Scott_E Zacapa is a nice intro because it's quite sweet unlike Appleton, but not as syrupy as the likes of Diplomatico, and it's 6-23 years aged in a solera, so it has a blend of flavors from different ages (though obviously weighted toward the young side). In case you (or anyone else reading this) are looking for recs, Foursquare/Doorly's are great choices on the unsweetened but nicely aged/finished side, Appleton is good for a more standard wood aged flavor, Plantation does a great job with its finishes and has a variety of sweetnesses, and El Dorado and Diplomatico are highly regarded in the syrupy category. I've yet to find a light rhum agricole that I would want a bottle of, but someone else might have
I am intrigued and will keep an eye out for the or Foursquare. Have had Ron Zacapa 23 and looking to expand that rum experience. Nice review.
I knew Foursquare was well regarded, but I didn't realize until that earlier thread how many people liked Doorly's. Glad it's getting some love, but if rum ever takes off like bourbon did, I'll have to snag a case before the price skyrockets like Weller.
@Soba45 I’m certainly enjoying that aspect. As whisky drinkers, that would naturally appeal to us :)
Great review! To be honest until I found Foursquare this year I think it was via a That Boutique whisky sample I had zero remaining interest in rum as it was all to sweet and often simple. The one i had was really expertly put together and I noted it was a thinking (wo)mans dram as it really made you stop, pause and want to dissect all the facets of what was going on.
@WhiskeyLonghorn Spot on with the comments, and glad you liked Doorly's 12 - it's literally my go-to rum. I've lost count of the number of die-hard, rum-hating bourbon and scotch drinkers whose minds I've changed with just a single dram of this. Looking forward to more rum reviews when your journey continues. Slainte!
@Ctrexman it really does. Trying these nice rums has me rethinking how much I really want to pay for booze now. Just because I can buy the expensive bottles, I’m not convinced anymore that they’re always worth it. Obviously some stand out, but I’ve been sipping on and enjoying a lot of $20-$60 bottles lately. Plenty of good stuff out there!
@jonwilkinson7309 @Ctrexman Yeah, I'm very glad to have Foursquare (and some others like Plantation) producing very enjoyable rum at very reasonable prices. Scotch is still my favorite in general, but with skyrocketing bourbon prices, rum is where the VFM is.
superb review. It really is great how inexpensive good quality rum is. Takes a burden off the high priced scotch
Great review, and great rum! Maybe it's the summer, or feeling drained by the news of the day, but I've been looking to some different and less aggressive drams lately, whether it's rum or Speyside Scotch. Variety is good! One thing I really appreciate about the full Foursquare line is the quality from top to bottom. I've been tempted to pull the trigger on some of the most expensive bottles like the Empery and Nobiliary, but the lower to mid priced bottles are so good I haven't felt any urgency. And let me know if you're ever interested in trying Privateer. Thanks to the wonderful folks at the distillery, we have more of it that we know what to do with!
Glad you like it! Looking forward to reading your thoughts on other rums :)