Velier Papalin Réunion 2023

I wasn't a fan of the Papalin range until now. But La Velier has come up with a very good Reunionese at a nice price. It's a perfect representation of the rhums trad found there, with the fruity side of the grand aroma, present but not overpowering. It drinks well, is pleasant, vegetal, floral, woody and fruity. A great success. In the end, it's what I expected from savanna's Le Must, which doesn't emphasize the fruitiness of the grand arôme enough. This is the case here.

A complex nose, not really typical of agricultural rums. With paprika, young wood, dried herbs and gooseberry. The palate is soft and dry herbal aromas develop with cedar wood and hard-to-define fruit. The finish is long on cedar and dried herbs. A darker side when the glass is empty, with light tar and old wood. A very fine rum, complex and evolving!

Beautiful rum! Best Papalin so far. The Grand Arome part comes out well and there are smoky strawberries ala Savanna. Considering the price, an absolute bargain in the Savanna universe. I would only wish for 5% more ABV.

#3856 12.10.2024 Romhatten Velier tasting. Had a nice afternoon with Danish rum friends at a Velier tasting. Nose Fresh, faint wood, light vinegar, light chocolate, overripe, fruits, light mango, light dried fruit. Palate Faint wood, oily, dried fruit, light sour, overripe, minerals, light coconut, light mango. Finish Medium to long, oily, light pear, light roasted, light chocolate, faint minerals, lightly salty. This is a pretty good release and the price to quality is really good in my mind.

Ice candy, menthol, strawberry, honey, some wood and herbal notes. Has a pleasant sweetness. However, it lacks depth and the finish seems a little thin. Nevertheless, a successful bottling that can provide a good introduction to the Savanna distillery.

A very good rum. Also has a slightly fruity note on the nose and palate, but at the same time drifts into sweetness and you can taste caramel and honey. Overall, however, it is very well-balanced, except that the alcohol is not so well integrated.

Notes taken at Rhum Fest 2024, Quick notes and a bit heavy palate, sorry :) What we have here: a truly typical Reunion style A rum: very fine, with fruit, cask and beeswax. Finish: long, greedy A real pleasure, 2 friends left with the bottle under their elbow!

Fresh cooked strawberry jam next to open olives and a tub of iodine. A really smart blend and a good portrait of reunion. I really like how this is the same aroma from start to finish. Super nice value

Interesting and vibrant on the nose with quite some power and a mix of fruits and spices. Very nice. A little less vibrant on the palate. However, still interesting and complex on the palate. Focus is more on woody notes and spices from the cask with fruits taking a step back. This is very good value for money imo.

From the nose to the finish, the rum is dominated by floral, herbal, nutmeg and above all light fruit aromas. Somewhat bitter/grassy, especially in the finish, which doesn't bother me too much.

Must be a Grand Arome. I like it very much!

Blind tasting, therefore sensibly without the usual photo. Nice warm nose (Guyana?), but a fleeting first impression of gummy bears - that's it! Tip: The first impression is often the right one. Resolution: RX17322 (I wouldn't have guessed that it was a blend of rums from four different distilleries on La Réunion; I would have guessed a young Savanna traditionnel).

My favourite yellow papalin seems to have been defeated. This is just the bomb for the price. It's already fruity on the nose. A little glue and grass. A bit of jamaican tang and the same comes through in the taste. Perfectly integrated abv. It's great.

My first Papalin and also my first rum from Reunion. What can I say, exciting. The aroma is balanced between fruit and spice, but I've never had strawberry like this before. I like it. On the palate, the spiciness is clearly in the foreground, lots of allspice. Fermented strawberry and tannins again on the finish. I can't say whether this is typical of Reunion, but I definitely like it. Definitely worth getting yourself a bottle.

On the one hand, I am enthusiastic about this rum, but I was expecting something different - unfortunately I have not yet been able to try the "good" grand aromas from Savanna. This one tastes like a mixture of Herr, LeMust and wood. What I miss with this rum is depth - it tastes like there's a lot of flavor that just doesn't come out. The Hubbabubba Herr aroma is omnipresent, but much weaker than in the unaged Velier bottling - otherwise it would also be overkill. It also has a lot of bitter, astringent wood notes. Definitely enjoyable and is particularly good in drinks - in addition to the astringent bitterness, the artificially alcoholic, sweet chewing gum aroma remains in the finish.