As may have become clear to those of you who've spent time perusing our beloved Barbadian section, Sue Sea and I are mad for Barbadian rums which, like Jamaica and Haiti, is a home to the production of consistently great rums.
In Barbados - and the world for that matter - lives and works a special man: Richard Seale. A man we've met, and who is passionate, dedicated, scrupulously honest and accessible. He is the latest of the Seale family who has come to represent the lastest incarnation at the home of rum as we know it.
It has gotten to the point that if the Seale's name graces a bottle of rum, you need not even read any reviews, including this one. Just buy it. Doorly's Five Year is no exception. Having tasted his flagship Seale's Ten Year and the wonderful Doorly's XO (and Tommy Bahama at Burr's Barbados tasting in Miami), it was a no brainer for me to buy the low priced Five Year. At this price point I was expecting a very fine mixer.
Was I correct? The reviews...
Sue Sea:
Me:I prefer Barbadian rums, and I love Richard Seale's products. I especially admire his classic Doorly's bottles - the tall Five Year and the squat XO - all featuring colorful macaw labels. A perfect image for these wonderful island rums. My first aroma was of oak and a deep orange/apricot, and spice (clove). I later picked up licorice, anise and leather. The orange/apricot is very similar to a marmalade or peel note.
At the end of the tasting I finally recognized an aroma that was there all the time - banana! I will tell you that, for me, licorice/anise and banana are pretty similar.
Five Year's taste was what I call explosive. It is completely consistent with the nose and opened very smoothly, creamy and orangey, then moved into spicy clove and a deep apricot - deeper than the aroma. At the end I became aware of a coating honey at the back of my throat (oddly enough Jim and both had this late impression at the same time!). This led to a medium long, smooth finish beginning with a bit of light pepper and going on to warm my chest. A kind of rum hot flash, ha!
There is a honey/banana aftertaste. I think Doorly's Five Year is an exceptional sipping rum that is priced such that you won't feel bad using it for special mixed concoctions. It would also make a wonderful gift rum for those who wish to really experience a fine rum that is neither too light or too heavy. Just the right amount of sweetness without being the least bit overbearing, great for both new and experienced rum fans.
Wonderful!
Great work Sue Sea! Just think, I'm with a wonderful woman who not only loves my passion of kayaking, but also rum! And whose palate and care in tasting is remarkable. Will that comment get me laid? Maybe - ah - but I digress as always.
Doorly's Five Year is a stupendous achievement for what many would call a young rum. But the wiser among us have pointed out that age and maturity are often two different things. Five Year has a maturity beyond its years, or this may be because at Seale's distillery this age statement is actually honest in that every single drop is at least five years old. Accordingly Doorly's Five Year may well be older than many of the "older" rums you've tasted. Drink to that!
Five Year's aroma is distinct, fruity and aromatic. Reminds me a bit of Appleton Extra and that's saying something. Struck me first as a spicy deep orange with some oak. With airing picked up leather, banana and a late vanilla. Better than sex! (It may have to be if my compliments to Sue Sea don't work)
The taste was entirely consistent and began sweet then turned oakey and finished with a bit of astringency. Finished with a light pepper (which stayed in the palate). Sue Sea and I had a late experience at the same moment - we both actually interrupted one another with the observation of an ending honey in the back of the throat. Five Year left a pleasant, non cloying aftertaste of honey and banana.
One final note: please, please do not rush your tasting. We have learned that with finer (and with some younger) rum, a good airing is especially beneficial. Time reveals more and more subtle characteristics. As Sue Sea puts it "...some lesser rums simply don't have it, and after an initial tasting there's no reason to continue. The really fine rums are different - tasting becomes an experience that you want to prolong as you discover more and more". Why? Because more and more is there to be discovered.
Doorly's Five Year is one of those fine rums. BTW, I concur with Sue Sea bout this rum being a great gift - it is an accessible but consistent, balanced and complex real rum. No flavorings, no forced sweetness, no BS. If you don't buy this rum for the pittance of $11.95 you are simply...
Nuts. It just goes to show you that a top rated rum does not have to be expensive. Only Barbancourt Five Star represents a greater value.
Rating (10 is best): 8.
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Note:
Some of you may be wondering how the Five Year compares to the magnificent XO. This is not a smackdown but suffice it to say there is much in common between these two. Five Year presents with more sweet fruit, while the XO presents more deeply with more of the leather (table) and wood forefront. Sue Sea noted cigar box, cherry/oak cabinet and what she call a pleasant "furniture polish". XO's taste is consistent but deeper and creamier than the Five Year. XO's finish is similar but more robust and peppery. Where the Five Year is warming, the XO is hot (in a nice smooth way)!
Overall the XO is smoother, more buttery, fuller bodied/heavier and more robust. It also is finished in sherry barrels. Accordingly we picked up a sherry/black cherry note that is absent from the Five Year.
If you want to learn something about aging I urge you to buy both, get into the Five Year then move to the XO. A great education and enjoyable to boot. To Richard Seale! May his passion never cease! And if he loses a case of rum, may I find it!