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."

"Super price for a solid molasses from Reunion. Still smells a little musty but the rum opens up very nicely on the palate. 83/100 Second tasting: Nose again strawberry, marshmellow. On the palate again this musty cellar note. Blindly I can only rate this rum 78/100."

"Really delicious Grand Arome/traditional mix from savanna here with a surprisingly high proportion of grand arome flavor. Very aromatic, round and delicious. Very pleasantly surprised by this grand arome! At the 2nd tasting slight point deductions because the herbal flavors of the traditionel portion predominate overall."

"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)."

"#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."

"For the price, another nice Papalin. However, this one is more on the woody and spicy side. It lacks a little fruitiness, which is unfortunately too much in the background. You can drink it once in a while, but I wouldn't need a bottle of it right now."

"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!"

"Floral, somewhat woody nose with spices, caramel and light esters. Initially restrained on the palate, with strawberries, sugar cane, some cinnamon and bitter notes coming through. Alcohol is moderately integrated. Good rum without surprises."

"Beautiful Réunion rum with a high Grand Arôme content and lots of strawberry, overripe fruit with wood, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and spice. Really very good for the price. I had actually expected it to be stronger in the direction of a normal traditional rum."

"Since the first nose 20 minutes ago, I'm not sure what to make of this bottling. The first impression is something between old, wet leather and a failed experiment in a chemistry lab. On the palate, fruity chewing gum notes, woody, leather, cinnamon, but rather as a hot spice. Still slightly chemical. Leather in the finish, slightly burning and a furry mouthfeel. Interesting bottling, but nothing I need as a bottle."

"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."

"Cool bottling. Already in the nose Grand Arome Savanna. Unfortunately, the taste of the nose does not continue to the mouth. A little edgy and woody. Finish then somewhat rounder again. Overall a solid rum with a good PLV."

"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."

"Delicious. Very fruity on the nose. On the palate and in the finish, the spicy and woody notes tend to take over, but completely displace the fruity notes. I have no idea exactly what the blend is made of, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some HERR in it. Somewhere in the background, a strawberry note creeps along..."

"I'm a bit ambivalent.... On the one hand, I like its lightness, but on the other hand, it lacks some complexity. Certainly a good rum from Papalin... which doesn't need to shy away from comparison with some much more expensive Savannas... but it doesn't really convince me. The aromas are not present enough for that. I'll give it a second chance in the next few days"