Velier Nine Leaves Ex-American Oak

 #4838 Whisky Live in Paris 27.09.2024-30.09.2024. Another great event meeting a lot of RumX new and old friends. This year three weren't as many new releases as in 2023, but I still had a great time. Nose Fresh, round, sugarcane, faint salty, faint olive, spice, faint coconut, faint mint. Palate Warm, round, fruits, light sugarcane, faint citrus, light vegetal, medium spicy, faint orange, Finish Medium long, fresh, warm, fruity, light sugarcane, light spicy, light citrus, light floral. These bottles Mark the end of Nine Leaves in Japan and it's pretty sad because he really knew how to make and mature rum. If you get the chance you should try out the five releases which are pretty similar and still pretty different.

 Barely drinkable at first, but after letting it breathe for around 10 minutes, it was much better. However, this rum won’t be joining the tasty club.

 A rum tasted at Whisky Live in Paris in 2024. The nose is full and deep, with overripe fruit and dried fruit, but also freshness and vegetal notes. On the palate, the entry is gentle, then the alcohol comes to the fore, followed by fruit and spiciness. A fine evolution here. The finish is long, with a hint of acidity. Undoubtedly the best Nine Leaves I've ever had in my glass, and there's no false taste here.

 For me, this is by far the best of the range - there are actually aspects here that I like - for example, the cadmium note on the palate and the balance of medicinal and sweetness. Regardless of the price, I wouldn't need a bottle.

 Nine Leaves Series No. 4 I find the nose quite restrained. Nevertheless, I perceive delicate fruit and honey aromas. The palate is more present. A pronounced honey sweetness flows onto the palate, which then leads into a sweetish fruitiness. This is followed by some spice and a slight roastiness. The finish is more on the herbal, spicy side. I like this bottling

 The strongest of the series. It is unclear whether this is because of the age or because the cask type is more "normal". The unpleasant yeasty note is almost displaced by the complex barrel influence. The alcohol sticks out slightly at the back and is not well integrated. The old Nine Leaves were much better than this.

 So now it's finally time to taste the highly praised Nine Leaves from 2014. I have to admit, it's the best of the series so far, but still not a unicorn for me. I mainly tasted a bitter walnut here, but I found it pleasant. Very wacky in any case.

 last drops: Vegetable, grassy and smoky. Tastes like a cross between Agricole and Mezcal. Interesting and delicious. 81 pts. 2017 bourbon barrel 7yr: The nose is very good, very intense bourbon. Also very bourbon-heavy on the palate, the other flavors are somewhat lost in the poorly integrated alcohol. Fresh fruit emerges on the finish. 72 pts. russian oak: Much fuller-bodied and more intense on the palate. Dried fruit, wood and leather, plus an interesting sweet note that I can't quite put my finger on. The finish is medium-long and warm. However, the alcohol could also be better integrated here. 75 pts. american oak 2016: Very similar to the Bourbon Barrell on the nose. On the palate, the smoothest so far with well-integrated alcohol. The finish is medium-long, dry with dried red fruits and wood. 78 pts. ex-american oak 2014: Interestingly fruity with a similar sweetness that I can barely define. Something with caramel and fruit jelly from Bonn. The alcohol is well integrated, the finish is medium-long and dry. 79 pts. All interesting bottlings that don't live up to their hype in my opinion. Although the hype is more about the history of the distillery and not about the taste of the rums. Which doesn't surprise me after the small tasting.

 Whisky Live Paris 2024 trade fair tasting. Great sweetness paired with heavy fruit and warm spicy notes. Extremely round, even if the alcohol is present - but by no means unpleasant. Probably the best from Nine Leaves to date.

 Nase: Multi-Frucht Joghurt, Ingwer und Zimt (pumpkin spice latte), etwas Olive, sowie Kokosnuss die zu lange im Salzwasser in der Sonne lag... Geschmack: 🎃 Gebackener Kürbis?! Streng genommen Butternut-Kürbis. Verfeinert mit säuerlichem Limetten und Orangensaft, Curry Pulver, Anis und Kardamom, sowie gerösteten Cashews und Dosen-Lychees. Die Butternut Kürbis Note, sowie die intensive Säure und Curry Noten sind wirklich gewöhnungsbedürftig und nicht ansatzweise was ich erwartet hatte. Trifft leider nicht wirklich meinen Geschmack wenn auch es ein spannendes Release ist! 😅

 Here we are talking. On the nose - similar to the 2016 - is some sweetness with vanilla and honey from the cask. Fruity notes are way more present in this one presenting a nuanced and complex nose. Some perfumed notes akin to high quality Agricoles. I like this one. On the palate clearly the nicest bottling of this release. Again, most fruit notes in a complex melange with honey sweetness, wood and a hint of sugarcane notes. Very nice. Looking forward to some more longer aged Nine Leaves.

 A superb Nine Leaves, whose long ageing has made it a most elaborate rum. The nose is rich, dense and varied: the sugarcane is fresh but greedy, amplified by vegetal freshness and a hint of honey. Spices (chili, salt) and wood blend well into the background. Fruit is prominent, notably yuzu lemon zest, tropical fruit and raisin. On the palate, the long aging process has done its work, with a myriad of woody notes and exotic spices. The profile gains in bitterness and complexity. There are earthy, almost peaty notes, vegetal flavors of sugarcane and slightly acidic lime notes. The profile is warm and well-balanced. The alcohol is well integrated. The finish is long, paradoxically as warm as it is refreshing between the spices and the floral and vegetal notes. While the dominant notes are tobacco and alcohol, the finish is also sweeter with caramel and sugarcane, and fruitier with tropical fruits (lychee in particular) and dried fruits. An excellent representative of Japanese rum, round, complex and harmonious in every way. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the latest vintages.

 Whisky Live Paris 2024 (Messebewertung, nur Gesamtnote und persönliche Kaufempfehlung): Sehr lecker, sehr eigenes Profil an der Nase und am Gaumen (kommt es von dem speziellen Zucker?). Intensiv, würzig, süß. Hätte sehr gerne eine Flasche davon… kleines Nine Leaves Cross Tasting - 2025-03-11: Ja, der gefällt mir immer noch, der beste der Reihe. Das typische Nine Leaves Profil, aber komplexer und angenehmer als die anderen Abfüllungen. Ich korrigiere die Bewertung gegenüber WLP24 trotzdem etwas nach unten, wo er eher in meiner persönlichen Skala hin gehört. Die Bewertung in Paris war wohl etwas überschwänglich.

 Angenehmer Rum mit tropischer Frucht, etwas Banane und feiner Würze. Dazu eine leichte florale Frische und gut eingebundene Süße. Der beste aus der Nine Leaves Serie von Velier, sticht im Vergleich klar hervor.

 WL24