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Velier Diamond (Versailles) SVSG 1996
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Near-universal love here, with just one or two finding it too woody-bitter. This is a dark, tropically-aged Demerara blend of Diamond and Versailles marks — licorice, dried prunes, roasted coffee, burnt sugar, leather and that telltale glue note. Fruit stays in the background; sweetness is almost absent. Give it 15 minutes in the glass and the nose opens up. Heavy, oily, spice-laden.
The community says- Complex dark profile
- Well-integrated alcohol
- Long roasted finish
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No shop currently delivers to Germany.
Auction results: 620–1,019 € (11 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 08/2026). How the range is built ›
The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Diamond (Versailles) SVSG 1996 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Dark, spicy old Demerara with licorice and coffee Adored by nearly everyone as one of Velier's best Demerara blends — deep, spicy and complex. A couple found it a touch too woody and bitter to love.
Aroma profileFans of dark, tropically-aged Demerara blends
Anyone wanting sweet, fruity, easy-sipping rum
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
23 of 53 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
Buying advice
Is it right for you?
Yes, if you're after bold, mature, oaky rums for sipping neat.
Similar in style and available now.
Milder
Velier Diamond (Port Mourant) <W>PM PM 19999.0/10 (49)1,243.26 €
26 rated both: 1 scored it higher, 21 scored Velier Diamond (Versailles) SVSG 1996 higher, 4 gave both the same score.Sweeter
Velier Uitvlugt Modified GS MGS 19969.0/10 (77)999.00 €
37 rated both: 10 scored it higher, 23 scored Velier Diamond (Versailles) SVSG 1996 higher, 4 gave both the same score.Rated better
Whisky Krüger Port Mourant Rendsburger Bürgermeister Rum PM 19759.4/10 (53)1,600.00 €
Fruitier
Velier Bielle Rhum Rhum Libération Integrale 2012 20079.0/10 (98)711.90 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Enmore Rum Sponge No. 15 19929.0/10 (71)600.00 €
What does the community say?
53 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
20 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 53 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Jakob
A rum that was somewhat under my radar for a long time - but that doesn't do the bottling justice. The Marque by Diamond is quite recognizable thanks to the dominant liquorice notes. The Versailles component comes forward with minerality, plus the oak barrel with its sweet vanilla note. Clearly the best Demerara blend from Velier in my eyes.
Review by Johannes
I am impressed! I have not had the rum in the glass for a long time. Meanwhile, I like it even better. Wonderfully complex blend. Currently I feel more Diamond with the typical glue note, molasses, wood, dark dry fruits, less Versailles notes.
Review by Giorgio Garotti
A really great match between Diamond and the Versailles still! You can perceive very well the characteristics of both with more prevalence of Diamond's hints but in the glass everything is really balanced!
Review by SaibotZtar
Really good stuff . Unfortunately very expensive even for a sampler . Wonderfully complex, fruity and spicy. A rum you can and should spend a lot of time with. These old bottlings are simply in a different league to most of what is now being thrown onto the overcrowded market. Anyone who has the chance to try it should definitely do so.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A blend that plays on the complementary aromas and opulence of the Demerara style. The alchemy works on the nose, with a dark, chocolatey woodiness that opens with spices (vanilla, cinnamon, licorice) before plunging into the darkness of Demerara: dried fruits (prunes, grapes), black tea, leather, notes of varnish, glue and polish, baked caramel and burnt sugar immerse us in this facet that is as dark as it is gourmand. A generous, refined and unrestrained profile. On the palate, the blend dons its dark cloak, with a strong concentration of roasted, grilled and even burnt aromas. Leather and wood take center stage, but are quickly overtaken by a myriad of spices (cinnamon, licorice, vanilla back in the mix), coffee and dark chocolate. Dried fruit and burnt sugar are there in support, with that pleasant, slightly bitter roasted warmth. The alcohol goes unnoticed in this landscape as dark as it is delicious. The finish, perhaps not as intense as the rest of the profile, nevertheless retains all its splendor with that very dominant dark side. However, black tea and floral notes suddenly emerge to underpin the profile, before fruit and a saline touch finalize the show. The two origins complement each other well, delivering a performance that lives up to expectations: intense, full-bodied and round, this blend is now arousing the curiosity of bottlers who are trying their hand at the exercise with the same combination, without ever managing to match this unicorn.
Review by Pavel Spacek
... Old Velier Demerara rums are the best you can taste in the rum world. Rums aged rather accidentally for several years in the tropics and nobody topped up the cask contents. The angel's share was 90% or more, which is why the taste is especially full and intense. Even though it's an extra expensive affair, I recommend trying a rum from this series at least once in your life.
Review by zabo
The ratings correspond to a blind tasting, thanks to the new function in the app. In hindsight, I rated it a little too poorly, but still not a highlight of the evening for me. It was a little too woody and bitter in taste for me. Nevertheless, thanks to Jakob for sharing.
Review by Jarek
Franconian Rum Tasting Gang & Jakob, 2023-07-27 Part 2: Dark, heavy, spicy. Liquorice with dried fruit and very dark berries. Dark chocolate, tea and just the right amount of wood. A masterpiece! Tasted another 0.5 cl and I have to adjust the rating upwards a little.
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
My hands were shaking with anticipation, as you can easily see from the blurred photo. Simply delicious.
Review by Serge
Blind tasting: old, dark, continental profile. Fruity, woody, malty... super tasty. I probably didn't let it sit enough the first time. First tasting: My second Velier Demerara blend... I like it straight away better than the last tasted Diamond & Port Mourant (PM)... the darker Diamond S Mark fits very nicely with Versailles. Licorice and coffee mix here with plum and herbs. All nicely tropical aged and with tasty glue and lacquer.
Review by LukaŽiga
9,2:On the nose, dried fruits like raisins and apricots, prunes, barrel impact is obvious, as wood is roasted/charred with caramel, roasted nuts, coffee, burnt sugar, spicy with allspice, anise, medicinal with polish, varnish, bump into our nosetrils. On aeration, molasses is thick, candied, dark with licorice, black tea, herbaceous, dark chocolate, leather join, meaty notes like bacon. 9:On the palate, the attack is medicinal with varnish, menthol hints, fruity with dried fruits like raisins and apricots, citrus, yellow fruits and coconut, the wood is charred, burnt with burnt sugar, dark chocolate, coffee, spicy with allspice, anise, as molasses is dark with licorice, black tea, herbaceous.The rum is full-bodied, barrel impact is obvious, metallic patina joins with oxidation. 9,1:The finish is long, dry&tannic, balanced, with Demerara sugar, roasted, dark oak notes, burnt, salty, spicy, fruity with dried, tropical fruits, berries and molasses is slightly minty, floral, dark with licorice, herbaceous..
Review by Felix Reiber
What a masterpiece! Terribly complex, powerful and delicious! Diamond and Versailles are perfectly fused. On the nose I first have licorice, dried plum and other dried fruits, leather, cherry, burnt sugar and vanilla. Then a coffee note with chocolate, cloves, oak, herbs and black tea leads into a spicy and floral direction. Powerful and with intense aroma it continues on the palate. Cask notes, burnt sugar, dried plum, licorice, dark chocolate, coffee and burnt wood are rounded off by more dried fruits, coconut, allspice and nice roasted notes. Very tasty with perfectly integrated alcohol. The long and brilliant finish first offers licorice, cask notes, coffee, wood, chocolate, vanilla and anise, before it pleasantly fades out with dried fruits, Demerara sugar, pepper, herbs and mint. This intense, old Guyana rum is a must for all who enjoy aged, dark profiles! Many thanks to @Skyfly for the grand sample 😃
Review by Skyfly
Mein dritter Demerara Blend und bisher der beste und komplexeste. Die Diamond Marker überwiegen hier; die Lakritze ist bis lange im Abgang zu schmecken. Daneben sehr viele dunkle Aromen, etwas Lack und primär Dörrpflaume als Fruchtaroma.
Review by Christoph H.
Very stark aged, deep and heavy Demerara blend. The rum is more on the spicy, barrel and overall tart side. There is hardly any fruit on the nose, some prune in the background. Sweetness is also just absent, if at all in the form of strongly burnt brown sugar. Otherwise, there is a lot of freshly roasted coffee, licorice, roasted aromas, leather, tobacco and herbs. Still some furniture polish in the background. In the mouth heavy, full-bodied, oily, sweet. Much rounder than still in the nose, a bit more fruit, lots of molasses, balanced spice. Very horny rum, I like exceedingly well
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
I only have one comment on the nose for this one and that's WOW. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes and the nose is a crazy explosion of flavours not there when you poor the glass. I worried that the palate wouldn't be able to keep up with such a rich nose, but that wasn't the case. The palate is wonderful and very well balanced. The alcohol has been so well integrated that you don't need water, some may want a drop or two, but a wonderful palate overall. The finish is long and has a minty coffee note to it and it just keeps on lingering. Try to leave the glass for the next day nose it!
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Enmore, Versailles and Diamond in perfect harmony. Blind, I would have guessed Enmore the most. Dark, strong and spicy, heavy and oily. Very nice single cask blend! Eternally long oily finish. Thanks Jakob! Even though I'm usually not a Versailles fan, I really like this one.
Review by Buddudharma
Very strong blend. The higher percentages lead to more intensity without disturbing in any way. Complex, elegant, dark profile without too much malt or licorice notes, which are not really my thing. I would like a bottle of this.
Review by Mopar Rules
more shy on the nose with very balanced smell of spices, wood, burned caramel. Hard for me to find much fruitiness. On the palate, a subtle bitterness that harmonizes much better with the caramel and spices than RX13135 I tasted same evening. Strong, intense, long finish
Review by ArminK
Pleasant on the nose, it promises: This will be something special. On the palate the 57.9% is extremely well integrated. Some oak wood with dried fruits and a slight sweetness. In the finish, a bit of bitterness comes through. It demands more.😋
Review by Adrianv
Amazing blend. I love these old Demerara rums, this one put together great Diamond and Versailles notes. Harmonic and balanced blend indeed. Complex from the nose to finish. This rum likes resting in glass for a while. Opens up nicely. It is piece of history, it will always be. I am happy to hold a bottle and keep it in my collection for loooong time:)
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 9.1/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Who Rhum The World
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Expert review by Tasting Bro's
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Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Velier Diamond (Versailles) SVSG 1996 at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
53 bottles logged by 42 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
5% opened, 1 emptied.
What does Velier Diamond (Versailles) SVSG 1996 cost?
Community paid 159–1,505 €.
Current best price: 1,170.50 € – within the typical community range.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 695 €. Price history with 11 auction results in RX+ ›
53 purchased · 54 tasted · 37 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Diamond (Versailles) SVSG 1996
A Pot & Column Still Rum from Guyana, bottled by Velier, at 57,9%.
What do the letters on a Demerara label mean? The RumX guide ›
About the Diamond (Versailles) distillery
The Diamond (Versailles) distillery is located in Guyana. Rums from Diamond (Versailles) have been reviewed 187 times with an average of 8.1/10.
To Diamond (Versailles) ›Read on in the RumX Guide
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