Rating: 14/23 N: Vibrant funk, sweet fruit, wow! It doesn't smell mature, but it smells vivacious! There's a bit of wood leading into fireworks and burnt sugar, but the fruit is what really stands out. There's lots of orange, banana, mango, passionfruit, pineapple. It's definitely edgy, but the smells all fit together. P: The flavors mix together more on the palate than they do on the nose, bringing out more richness. The fruit flavors are all still there and so is the caramel and kind of funk. There are even faint hints of garlic and soy sauce. It's good, but the youth does show itself a bit at times with fresh vegetal flavors and a clean creek water presence. Still, it's a very good palate. It makes me think a bit of a youthful version of Plantation Trinidad. F: There's a youthful sharpness here that stays. I wouldn't call it harsh, but it definitely highlights the youth. There's lots of tropical fruit still, along with that interesting garlic soy sauce flavor. It's a bit more muddled and youthful and less interesting than the palate, but it's still solid. This is very good, especially at the price. I'm happy sipping this, but I wouldn't be afraid to throw it in a light cocktail either. It's sort of the opposite of Appleton Estate 12, but I think I generally like this approach better. The two are similar in quality. During the summer, I'd give the win to the Plantation with its refreshing vivacity; during the winter, I'd give it to Appleton with its warm richness and maturity. Doorly's 12 is better than either though. This seems like a 14 to 15 - essentially on par with Appleton Estate 12, but for a very different reason. The Appleton has a refined maturity that contrasts greatly with the Plantation's youthful funk. For the money, I'd definitely go for this, but overall it's a much tougher question. I was about to give this a 14, but the last sip I took convinced me to up it to a 15, but then the finish changed my mind again. So it's a 14, but very borderline.