Doorly’s Aged 3 Years Fine Old Barbados Rum. The Doorly’s line up should need no introduction to most of you. I’ve reviewed all of their line up that I have been able to get my hands on. I’ve failed thus far to get the Sweden(?) only 6-year-old.

In all honesty I thought I had reviewed this long ago. A quick look revealed that I had completed the tasting notes but had never got around to writing and publishing the rest.

I usually do most of a review all in one go. Don’t go thinking I spend hours and numerous tasting sessions, before writing a review. I do spend time with any rum I review but I’m maybe not quite as “intense” or thorough as some reviewers seem to be. However, weekends spent without an internet connection meant I was able to take samples away and taste them. Alas I could only update my thoughts on paper or using LibreOffice Writer (I’m not paying for MS Word when I hardly use it)

Doorly’s Aged 3 Years is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rums from the Foursquare Distillery,  Barbados. All the rum in the blend is aged for a minimum of 3 years in the tropical Caribbean climate of the island.

Presentation wise it comes in the stubby Doorly’s bottle which has a bulbous neck. This 40% variant, has a screw cap. Foursquare have recently released a 47% ABV Doorly’s Aged 3 Years which, I understand has a plastic cork. I’m not totally sure if both rums will remain in production. You should be able to find the 40% version for a while as there still seems to be plenty stock kicking around. In the UK a 70cl bottle of this white rum should set you back between £20-25. I would advise shopping around as the price can vary quite a lot..

In the glass Doorly’s Aged 3 Years is almost clear with just a very faint hint of haziness. It is a touch “yellow” ie not entirely clear like Bacardi or more generic white rums you come across.

The nose is pretty heavy on the vanilla and has a “young” sweet alcohol forward feature which I quite enjoy in younger white rums.  Banana, grape and a some coconut add a nice fruitiness to the mix.  It’s not a remarkable or overly distinctive white rum but it is nicely balanced. It certainly doesn’t seem like a white rum which will “disappear” when mixed.

Sipped Doorly’s Aged 3 Years is initially quite sweet, with an aftertaste of oak, tobacco and charcoal.  The vanilla is still present but the fruitiness seems to get a little lost to the alcohol.  Which doesn’t displease me.  This is authentic aged white rum.  I dare say in order to get the almost clear white, we may have had to sacrifice a little of the flavour in the original distillate.

The finish is fairly short and overall the alcohol burn on this rum is pretty minimal.  It’s very smooth and for such a young rum surprisingly easy to sip.  It’s not hugely complex but its pleasant and better than a lot of so called “premium” sippers.

Mixing Doorly’s 3 with some cola gives a very tasty drink.  The coconut, vanilla and banana notes reappear and balance beautifully.  It’s really very good this way. Ginger Beer overpowers it (as it does most whites) but it works very well in simple cocktails such as a Daiquiri or a Mojito.

This is a really good white rum at a very competitive price.  Easy to drink, yet complex enough to lift it above most of the competition. Will be interesting to compare this to the newly released 47% ABV version. And of course Veritas which I also have to review soon…..