Velier La Bonne Intention LBI PM 1998

First off, I regret not having bought some bottles of this release because the price is just up there today if you find a bottle. Secondly, it's amazing how much flavour they packed into such a young demerara, wow. The nose is intense and well balanced with fruits, molasses, smoky wood, clove, tobacco, licorice and camphor. The palate is intense, complex, very well balanced and very oily with dried fruit, smoky wood and chocolate. The balance between sweetness and bitterness is virtually perfect. The finish is very long and lightly bitter with rubber, tar, licorice, grapefruit and light coffee.

Nose Who allowed this witchcraft?! Lord have mercy on us. Never in a thousand years does this feel like an only 9 year old spirit, black Demerera magic it is! The bouquet is fat and rich, uber-complex and jam-packed with dark fruits and sweets, like dried plums and figs, caramelized dates, thick molasses and a lot of liquorice. Over everything hovers a mysterious note of smoke, like we've never experienced it in rum territorries. Everytime you shake the glass, new flavours tumble out, like with a magic box. This time: elegant perfume notes of sandalwood, orris and the best cuban tobacco. Wait, there is also a fresh nuance of camphor, cloves and myrrh, leaning a bit towards swedish bitters. Palate By the potion of Getafix and Asterix! We just got bewitched by a highly concentrated bittersweet, super oily and sticky juice, that confirms most of the dark flavours we had on the nose. The sweetness and bitterness are synergizing into a perfect interaction. No sharpness, no offnotes, just magnificence. Moreover, we taste carob, cocoa and pronounced manioc and tamarrind flavours. What's also stunning is the mature mouthfeel that occupies the palate and rules with richness and heaviness. Finish Long but not endless, yet really dry and perfectly bitter with heavily roasted espresso beans, liquorice, old grapefruit peels and a slight dirtiness of rubber and tarr.

Dark dried fruit meets wet leather, tobacco and smoke - very impressive melange with various reminiscences of other Demerara styles, but here blended in almost perfect harmony. Hard to believe that such a balanced and versatile profile can emerge after a comparatively short aging period.

The elegant smoky note is amazing!

Molases, leather, wood, more smooth than Skeldon, more floral and fruity