Velier Nine Leaves Sherry Pedro Ximénez 2020

#5715 27.09.2025 Day one of the Whisky Live 2025, which this year looks better organized/arranged inside. Another big disappointment in my mind. This one a bit more vegetal and light mint, but still spicy on the palate with some anise and honey. There is a peppery note on the palate as well.

Oh man, what's with Velier and Nine Leaves? It's great that there are such fantastic labels, but these are by far the best. I wasn't impressed by the first releases, but this bottling is even more disappointing. Sherry to the power of 10! Finish me off.

It's clear that the former owner enjoyed experimenting with different barrels, but here we discover that sherry is not the best combination. It takes up quite a bit of space on the nose with dried fruit (raisins), spicy wood, and nuts. While it adds a little mellowness to an otherwise subdued local profile (sugar cane, pepper, sake, herbs), it's far from saving it. The palate makes the same somewhat disappointing observation. A little sugar (caramel, cane), quite a bit of sherry heaviness (raisins, prunes, nuts, chili pepper), a pinch of herbaceous flavors and Sichuan pepper, and that's it. The alchemy of the aromas doesn't work; it's rather dull and unstructured, with little depth. The alcohol is decently integrated. The finish is dry, thin, and unconvincing. Citrus, dried fruit, a hint of sherry alcohol, and pepper make up most of what you can taste, but overall it clearly falls flat. Certainly not the most convincing rum of the bunch, and it's hard to justify the price tag for this one.

Unfortunately, not my cup of tea at all. In my opinion, the PX maturation is far too dominant: it tastes almost exclusively of sherry, and I can hardly taste the rum. Water doesn't suit it at all, it just makes it even more uneven. I'll have to taste it again soon...

Too much sherry. Overpowers the Nine Leaves profile.

Whisky Live Paris 2025

I recognize immediately that it is a Nine Leaves, but unlike many others I have already tasted, from the first sip it is more docile and with little punch. The finish in ex-sherry px gives it more color than distinctive character. You can taste it a little at first, but after a while the distinctive character of sake emerges, the one that distinguishes all Nine Leaves, with slightly acidic notes and unique yeasts. I find it only a little docile, but overall it is very balanced both on the nose and on the palate. It is not very viscous in the glass, while the nose is well defined with floral and sherry tones at the beginning, with light spicy hints. It is a little sharp on the palate and has a strong sake aftertaste, but I don't mind that. After half an hour, it becomes more mellow. The finish is average, but I had slightly higher expectations. Overall, however, it is a different drink, as with the other products from the same distillery: you either love it or hate it. This is purely my personal opinion.

Buono il legno di sherry che copre tutto il resto che non c’è

Cette année, j’ai pu déguster toute la lineup, et… malheureusement, ce n’est pas mieux. Les rhums sont plus jeunes (2017 à 2020) et, globalement, encore moins convaincants. La série mise surtout sur les finishes : 2020 Sherry Pedro Ximénez – 60 % et 59 % 2018 Spanish Oak – 59 % 2018 Armagnac Cask – 59 % 2017 Red Wine Cask – 60 % S’il fallait en sauver un, ce serait le 2018 Spanish Oak : une finale dense, corsée, avec cette impression de “mâcher un bâton de réglisse”. Intéressant, sans être transcendant. On sent clairement que cette gamme reste expérimentale, en quête d’un équilibre entre la base et le type de vieillissement. Mais pour l’instant, je dois l’avouer : je ne suis pas le public visé. Des rhums de dégustation plus que de plaisir, parfaits pour un club de dégustation ou une session découverte, mais pas vraiment des bouteilles que j’aurais envie de garder dans mon bar.

Delicious, but a little too much sherry and a little too little Nine Leaves ID