Doorly's XO 6-Year

Honestly I'm not really into overproof rums. I've tried several and most of them are like extremely potent hot sauces (something else of which I am a connoisseur)...all burn and little to no flavor.

So normally I stay away from them.

I started reading about this rum several months ago and it intrigued me. Especially since it comes from one of my favorite brands. So when I came across it at a store in Jacksonville (can't get it locally) I decided to get a bottle to try.

I was not disappointed.

Let me summarized thusly....excellent flavor but kicks like a bionic mule.

This is a dark rum. Deep, deep toffee amber. Nothing light about this. Of course the O.F.T.D. stands for "old fashioned traditional dark". Definitely a dark rum. No doubt about it.

Has an excellent aroma with a little sting...forewarning of what is to come.

Took me a few sips to get some of a flavor profile because in each sip, once the taste buds detected something, my throat and tongue got a sound thrashing from the 69% ABV (138 proof).

However some of what came across is an initial sweetness...a marked molasses sweetness. It almost was a fiery syrup. Although an overproof, it has a surprising smoothness to it even though there is a strong...not exactly a "burn" per se...but a marked extreme warmth that stays with you for quite a while. I think this would be a sipping rum for the hardcore but for the rest of us this rum would work well in boat drinks. If I remember, I will come back to this later on in my usual Coke Zero & rum combo (which is my normal concoction at home) and amend my review (see below). There is also a creaminess to it as well as a brief cinnamon and vanilla taste to it as well. Some caramel seems to be present as an undertone.

Overall, I have to say this is a recommendable overproof best suited for those rum punches that need a little extra punch. Definitely a good go-to rum for cocktails. Also, reading the label is entertaining as well (although I honestly cannot figure out how they manage to come up with all those intricate flavor profiles...oh, well...I am, at best, an amateur offering my personal measly opinion).

ADDENDUM 4/4/2017: This works exceedingly well in Coke Zero. One must be a little more cautious in how much one adds to the Coke Zero but the flavors mesh quite well. Delicious.

To be honest, I bought this to make kick ass Cuba libras but found out it stands up on its own, although drinking it neat is on a par with going into an Indian restaurant and ordering the hottest curry on the menu.
Neat, it kicks like a mule, but has a surprising depth and complexity that comes through the alcoholic assault.
Over ice, this rum becomes much easier to drink, letting the oak and molasses shine.
Enjoyable, but handle with care!

It hits those Jamaican ester notes, but doesn't go overboard with them. It's overproof but drinks like it has a fiery spice instead of like jet fuel. The overripe banana transitions perfectly into those almost dusty dried fruit flavors. There's some interesting tobacco and coffee flavors in there that, when mixed, bloom into a soft chocolatey-ness.

I've spent a lot of time with this rum, and it still frequents my cabinet, but I've found that it can be tough to suss out everything it has going on without knowing how to mix it. This inflexibility has dropped it down a couple of points for me, as I usually prefer my rum neat, or with just a little splash of something extra.

This is my first overproof rum, recommended by several here.

Dark and sultry, the first smell is of brown sugar and oak with a hint of flames. It dares you drink it neat; calls you a pussy if you don’t.

After you gather your courage and ensure you don’t have to drive anywhere for a while, you take a sip. The neat sip is fire and flavor combined, with a long burn. I get burnt brown sugar, caramel, a bit of spice and a nutty finish.

One large ice cube and this rum opens up with caramel, molasses and a hint of chocolate and honey, but still retains the flavors mentioned above and the burn that most rums lose with ice.

This may be my new favorite. It has a honey finish that lingers and it claps you on the back like a man after you drink it.

O.F.T.Delicious!

P.S. not for beginners.

To me, this felt like the target was a traditional navy rum, in flavor profile, not just ABV. However, it does differ in a couple of respects. I get butterscotch on the nose. A touch of pineapple, buttery and fruity notes, plus that Navy rum twang. This will work very well in a number of cocktails where a strong rum profile is required. A very nice effort, and a good addition to the Plantation line.

Oh Fxxk That's Delicious!

Funky/ hogo flavour of Jamaican rum, chocolate fudge and fruity dried fruits along with cooked banana.
2 drops of water, less funky while it enhance the notes of chocolate fudge, coffee, cloves, raisins and woody in the glass.

Funky sour cherry and chocolate with caramel while sipping. Slight burning sensation due to alcohol but acceptable.
2 drops of water, enhance the flavour of caramel, banana and chocolate. Unsweetened banoffee pie.

End with dry finishing and dried fruits. Length was shorter than expectation yet it does provide balance finishing.

This rum is the best rum I have had in the Planation collection and the most useful overproof I have had the chance to work with. While I do not recommend sipping this rum straight, it is a powerhouse in just about any rum cocktail. Sub in half an ounce (or a whole one if you ain't afraid of some booziness) of this for your next daiquiri and watch your ordinary drink transform into something amazing.

I am quickly learning that the fine folks at Plantation never disappoint!! Nose is like cherry cola on steroids, mellowed out by a bit of butterscotch. High octane aroma, but nothing particularly profound. Palate has plenty of molasses, and some dried fruit character too (we're talking real dried fruit, not your sugar-loaded craisins). Again, all there from the get go, very good, rather one-dimensional. But you know what? This rum OWNS that one dimension!! And besides, you probably won't be sipping your overproof rums, you'll be mixing them, so that bumps this rum up to top notch! Surprise, another winner from Plantation!

If you want something extra strong and you can drink it without mixing, this Plantation O.F.T.D. 69% ideal choice. I tried Pussers British navy 55%, price similar, but Plantation is better.

Pokud chcete něco extra silného a ještě k tomu se to dá pít i bez míchání, je tento Plantation O.F.T.D. 69% ideální volba. Zkoušel jsem Pussers British navy 55%, cena podobná, ale Plantation je lepší.

Not much to say that hasn’t been written here. Great rum and great for mixing