Doorly’s Fine Old Barbados Rum Aged 14 Years. Yet another release from the increasingly prolific Foursquare Rum Distillery, Barbados. This release, unlike the Exceptional Cask Series (Empery and 2007 to follow) and the Velier collaborations (Patrimonio will also follow soon here) will be available as a constant addition to the Foursquare portfolio.

After waiting a while for Doorly’s Aged 12 Years to be available outside of Barbados another new Doorly’s release wasn’t anticipated by myself. I was quite surprised when Doorly’s Fine Old Barbados Rum Aged 14 Years was announced.

Appearance wise we are faced with the now familiar Doorly’s stubby bottle. Presentation wise the Blue Macaw is again present and the typeface etc is the same as the rest of the Doorly’s line up. In the UK a bottle will set you back around £60 it is currently stocked at The Whisky Exchange.

Differences from the rest of the Doorly’s range come with the new box (as pictured) which is an improvement on the box used for the Doorly’s 12. The box can now act as a total cover for the rum but can also be used to present the rum. Should you wish to do such a thing.

The ABV for this Doorly’s has also been increased – 48% ABV. So it’s not Cask Strength but it has a bit more oomph than the 40% ABV Doorly’s. It may be that the other’s Doorly’s rums are also increased in ABV. Doorly’s White is now available at 47% ABV and R L Seale’s also had the ABV increased to 46% here in Europe. Foursquare are now also using synthetic cork stoppers rather than real cork. There have been a significant number of complaints about broken corks (not just from Foursquare products) over the past few years

Doorly’s Fine Old Barbados Rum Aged 14 Years is a blend of Pot and Column distilled rum. The rum has been aged for 14 years in ex-bourbon casks. A portion of the blend was aged in ex-Madeira casks. As with all Foursquare products there are no hidden nasties in the bottle – just rum and a bit of Caramel colouring which is disclosed on the rear label.

In the glass we are presented with a dark/reddish brown liquid.

Nosing Doorly’s Fine Old Barbados Rum Aged 14 Years will be a familiar experience for anyone familiar with Foursquare rum.

With so many recent releases comparisons will be sought. I find both this and Doorly’s 12 to be slightly more “wood driven” than some of the Exceptional Cask series. This is for example more woody than the very Fruity Premise of Zinfandel Cask rums. More oak and less vanilla and sweet fruit.

This is a deeper nose more in keeping with Criterion or Dominus. Woody oak notes dominate initially giving to some fruit. This is more dark fruits though – blackberries and some prunes. It’s not as blackcurrant forward as Destino but it does have similarities. This is much woodier though.

It has an almost charred note to it. Little bursts of vanilla and some ginger fade in an out of the mix. It’s not the most complex Foursquare nose I have had recently but it has a nice balance and the notes that are present are nicely done.

Sipped Doorly’s 14 is quite a spicy rum. Possibly due to the extra ABV. It has a little more kick to it than say the XO. Lots of ginger and spicy oak on the initial entry. There is a slightly bitter note in the oak notes. A slight astringency.

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.

Doorly’s Fine Old Barbados Rum Aged 14 Years is as the name suggest a very fine rum. For most other producers this would be the jewel in the crown. There best efforts. for Foursquare it’s just another great rum.

Having tried so many Foursquare rums over the past few years I have begun picking up on small difference between the releases. I’ve been able to focus on what I personally prefer. At the moment my palate leans towards the more fruit led rums such as Premise, Port Cask, Destino and Principia. This is a slightly “heavier” more woody rum. I think if you enjoy the Real McCoy rums you will appreciate this bottle a little more than me.

Which is not to say I am not really enjoying this rum. I am, it is a great rum and one which will stand up to anything else on the market at the moment. It’s competition for a space on my shelf comes from its own brothers though.

When all is said and done this is another beautifully balanced rum – there is enough variety in all the Foursquare releases to recommend purchasing at least one bottle of everything they put out.

The only people who would be disappointed with this rum are the nuggets that think Bumbu or Plantation XO are great Barbados rums.