Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Diamond SSN SSN 1996
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Nearly everyone rates this Diamond high, with one honest caveat: at 63.4% it needs air. Members say the alcohol burns on the nose at first, then blows off after a good rest in the glass, leaving coconut, vanilla, caramel, tobacco and milk chocolate. Several call it a "beautiful Demerara column profile." A few wish for more fruit and that classic glue note.
The community says- Deep coconut note
- Aged tropical Demerara
- Opens up with rest
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How does Velier Diamond SSN SSN 1996 taste?
Summarized by AI from community reviews.
Coconut-and-vanilla Demerara that needs air Well-loved tropical-aged Diamond with coconut, vanilla and chocolate. Most agree it's excellent once it's had time to breathe; a few find it a touch too hot and short on fruit.
Aroma profileFans of aged Demerara who don't mind letting a cask-strength rum breathe
Anyone sensitive to high ABV or wanting bright fruit
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
18 of 35 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
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Rated better
Velier Diamond SVW SVW 1996
9.3/101,790.00 €
Milder
Enmore Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 22 REV 1994
9.2/101,199.00 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Velier Diamond SVW SVW 1999
9.0/101,190.00 €
Nothing for you?
4 more similar rums ›
First choice: 25 of 27 tasters who tried both prefer it.
What does the community say?
35 community reviews
18 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
Top 10% of Guyana rumsTop 4% at Diamond
Rate it in the app
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by Jakob
Not quite in the top group of Diamonds, but still extremely high quality level. Beautiful Diamond notes, but without that certain something.
Review by Maxence
Alcohol could be better integrated especially on the nose. Both palate and nose could use a little more complexity. Otherwise, very nice rum with a sweet profile : coconut, molasses, vanilla, pastries, chocolate. A true desert. 🤩
Review by DomM
Beautiful Dermerara column profile. Delicate across nose and palate.
Review by Serge
Very fine notes of intense vanilla with oak, coconut and caramel with a few (rather subtle) fruity notes. Very fine and the alcoholic note disappears completely after about 2 hours in the glass. I miss some glue, but very tasty.
Review by Florent Apl
Thanks to MartinS for the sample! I'm very happy to try one of the big ones, from the Velier bottlings. This one is not on the top but it's still a very good rum. Classic column Guyana style, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, coffee and wood, with a hint of glue/shoe polish on the nose, that does not persist on the palate. The downsides, alcohol is not perfectly integrated, and the palate and mouth are not as long as I wished.
Review by LukaŽiga
8,9:On the nose, sweet toasted oak with caramel, biscuits, burnt sugar, nuts, maple, spicy with allspice, vanilla, anise, toasted coconut, banana, orange, apricot, slightly medicinal, balanced, bump into our nosetrils. On aeration, molasses is slightly vegetal, earthy with tobacco, herbaceous, dark with black tea, red fruits arise, glue hints, chocolate and gingerbread. 9,2:On the palate, the attack is delicious with Irish chocolate cream, creamy, sweet toasted wood with biscuits, pastry, roasted nuts, caramelized, spicy with vanilla, anise, allspice, balanced, leather, slightly medicinal, fruity with toasted coconut, banana, papaya and orange, slightly fermented, as dairy notes pop up, molasses is candied, thick, earthy with tobacco. 9;The finish is long, dry&tannic with toasted oak notes like pastry, gingerbread, caramel, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, leather, spicy with allspice, vanilla, slightly metallic.The molasses is slightly minty, fresh, dark with black tea, floral, earthy with tobacco, mineral, fruits are tropical with coconut, banana, citrus and yellow with apricots.
Review by Skyfly
A rum you have to let breathe forever so the alcohol evaporates – but in return, you get an extremely tasty and intense Demerara. For my taste, the fruit notes are too low and the glue note is missing for an even higher rating.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
We had a wonderful pure Diamond tasting yesterday and what a tasting. Another wonderful rum that also released a lot of extra flavours after a drop of water was added.
Review by Oliver
A tad too alcoholic for a top rating.
Review by Mirco
Very characterful Diamond with a lot of punch and a nice dark aroma. On the nose molasses, licorice, wood, a bit of leather and dark fruits, plus a slight mineral note. On the palate strong and complex with oak, spices, tobacco and some cocoa. The typical Diamond heaviness is clearly there, but remains pleasantly dry and spicy. A really good Guyana with lots of depth and plenty of character.
Review by Pavel Spacek
... The Old Velier Demerara rum is the best thing you can taste in the rum world. The rums were aged in the tropics for several years by mistake and nobody refilled the barrel. The Andel tax was 90% or more, which is why the taste is especially full and intense. Even though it is an extra expensive product, I recommend to taste a rum from this series at least once in your life.
Review by Mopar Rules
basically, rums are more intense and complex on the nose than the palate. Not those demeraras I tasted today. The taste on the palate exceeded the expectations set on the nose. Another great rum, Velier did a great job with these bottlings.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Diamond 1996 is just awesome. Super nice easy-drinking bottle. Great combo of tropical fruits and caramelized spices. Alcohol perfectly integrated - complexity technically not quite at the level of other 1996s. Still a great show
Review by ArminK
Very pleasant but can stand for a few minutes. The alcohol burns briefly on the nose. Then a slight sweetness with some citrus fruits comes through. On the palate lightly woody, somewhat sweet with fruits and nuts. Nice long finish, a bit bitter.
Review by Martin Švojgr
I've had this demerara for a long time and so I was looking forward to retasting it. Some people find it too alcoholic, but not me - maybe a longer open bottle? What hits me immediately on the nose is the coconut, there's a lot of it, and then the milk chocolate. On the palate, coconut, tobacco, wood, vanilla and anise. The alcohol comes in a bit on the finish and after a while there is a hint of nuts.
Review by Filip Šikula
This Old Demerara range is heaven in the mouth. In this case, it’s not the absolute peak of what Diamond can offer. Nevertheless, it’s definitely a complete beauty full of coconut, spices and incredibly integrated alcohol.
Review by bavarian-rumlover
Pleasant smell, initially a bit alcoholic, you should let it breathe. Taste not rough, but complex, coconut, vanilla, caramel and a bit of oak. For me a real palate pleaser even if the price is totally exaggerated.
Review by Bob the Drunker
If you don’t look at the label, you will think this is another 1999 svw, good stuff, but not fantastic
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by Who Rhum The World
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Community shelf
41 bottles logged by 33 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
26% opened, 8 emptied.
What does Velier Diamond SSN SSN 1996 cost?
Community paid 379–2,052 €.
Current best price: 2,048.36 € – within the typical community range.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 1,032 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ ›
41 purchased · 36 tasted · 19 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Diamond SSN SSN 1996
A rum from Guyana, bottled by Velier, at 63,4%.
How do you read a Diamond bottle? The RumX guide ›
Read on in the RumX Guide
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Silver Seal Demerara Rum Wildlife Series No. 1 1974
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