Doorly's XO 6-Year

Update, May 16, 2021
I just did a side by side taste test with the Doorly's 12 year and I have to revise my review and downgrade this from an 8 to a 7. I realized almost immediately that the main reason I like the XO so much is the strong sherry notes on the finish, but the front end, and primary flavors, are actually rather thin, it's just not super noticeable until you have it right up against a more full bodied rum. So now, Doorly's 12 year, Appleton 12 and Hampden 8 year are my alternating sipping rums. I will almost certainly get another bottle of XO eventually, because I love the drier style and the strong sherry finish, it's just not as good as I thought initially. I clearly have a long way to go with my palette.

Original review:
Prior to tasting this rum, I would have rated Appleton's 12 Year Reserve as my favorite sipper. But especially for the price point, this Doorly's, while not quite as complex, is certainly a great tasting and easy drinking choice. The nose is very subtly sweet, with hints of oak, vanilla and spice. It opens up nicely after a few minutes and tasting reveals a decent depth of character, sweet but with hints of citrus, raisins and a slight slate tone on the back end and a very nice dry finish. As my rum palette evolves this is exactly the kind of experience I enjoy most.

The effects of this rum are particularly spectacular as well. I can drink a couple of decent pours with the most pleasant warm and relaxing feeling and with zero after effects.

I had previously sampled the worst and best rums since I'd found Rum Ratings. It was easy to compare this as in between them.

It didn't burn but wasn't tasty straight. It does mix well.

Truly excellent rum, especially at this price point. Has strong "rum" flavor (like eggnog) without bitterness or syrupy-ness, and very smooth. A dry whisky-like rum, without bite. Flavor ends abruptly with a very short finish. One of my all-time favorites. You won't be disappointed

On the nose: Vanilla, oak, carmel, brown sugar
Flavor: banana, carmel

Rich taste, strong bite, burning sensation leaning heavily towards the pleasing spectrum, this has to be one of the best budget-treats out there. Decent, respectable, honest, rightly priced too! Tried it at a bar outside before new restrictions and liked it very, very much!

Toto je rum, ktorý mám vždy doma. Chuti ľuďom ,ktorý majú radi isladsie rumy i rumarom , ktorí už prešli k nedosladzovanym. Pekná, príjemná chuť a v danej cene naozaj dobrá kúpa.

I like this rum, not so sweet, very nice tones of sherry.

Its been 2 1/2 weeks since I bought my first bottle of Doorly's XO from Total Wines. I spent $19.99 for a bottle of this quality Barbados rum. I really wanted to try the 12 year variety, but they were sold out so I decided to give this one a shot. The bottle had a nice, squat, round shape to it, and the label had a blue parrot on it. The bottle definitely had a quality look to it, and I could easily see it being displayed in anyone's liquor cabinet. The top was cherry wood colored with a synthetic cork stopper. It was a darker rum with great color, and I found that it poured easily from the bottle with no messy drips. So far I was impressed, and couldn't wait to try it. This was going to be my first sip of alcohol in four years.

It was strong! I wasn't sure if I could sip this and actually enjoy it. It took quite a few drinks to deaden the taste buds a bit to tolorate it. I made a few Pina Coladas with it, and they were absolutely fantastic! (Especially with soft crushed ice from Chic Fil-A.) You can buy bags of it for $1.29. Anyway, I did eventually start sipping this rum. I didn't find the initial flavor sweet, and the nose became a little more mellow. It had a rich and complex mouth with huge body. The finish was smooth and dry. In my opinion, this is an excellent bottle to try if you're new to rums. It will certainly give you a solid reference base to compare other rums to.

Sweeter, fruity bit burning with woody and sherry finish. Very good rum for this price (I prefer it more than 12y and 14y)

I like the Sherry finish myself and you will be hard to find a better tasting rum for under$20 anywhere’s.

Tested this at a restaurant some times ago. Doorly’s XO is as all rum from R.L. Seale’s and The Foursquare distillery pricewhorty.
But I won’t let it in into my Bajan rum shelf where I already have the 12yo one, which I find even better.