Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Nine Leaves Ex-American Oak 2014
"The best of the Nine Leaves series" is the line that keeps coming back — and most tasters mean it. Fresh sugarcane leads, half agricole and half something earthier, with roasted walnuts, honey, warm spice and a touch of yuzu citrus. Ten years of oak gives it real depth and a long, dry finish. At 59% the alcohol shows but stays well integrated.
The community says- Sugarcane freshness
- Real depth
- But: Slight bitterness
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Nine Leaves Ex-American Oak 2014 taste?
Aggregated from 41 community reviews.
Complex Japanese cane rum, best of the series Owners keep calling this the pick of the Nine Leaves run — more depth, better balance and cleaner integration than its siblings. A few find it a touch bitter; most don't mind.
fans of cask-strength, cane-forward Japanese rum
anyone wanting sweet, easy sipping
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
17 of 41 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Velier Nine Leaves Ex-American Oak 2014 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.4 sits in the “Very good” band. 95% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
80% rate it 8 or higher. 19 selected write-ups from 41 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Most helpful positive review
#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.
Review by Jimmy Hsu
Most helpful critical review
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.
Review by cigares
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.
Review by Thunderbird
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
Review by zabo
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.
Review by Serge
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.
Review by Jakob
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.
Review by DomM
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.
Review by Mirco
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.
Review by Jarek
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.
Review by TheRhumhoe
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.
Review by Leo Krüper
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.
Review by Volkmar Weber
Typische Nine Leaves DNA mit etwas süßlich-seifigem Charakter, minimal Klebstoff, geröstete Nüsse. Im Mund dann deutlich wuchtiger, als die Nase vermuten lässt. Die kräftige, aber nicht bittere Holznote hält mit ihrem Körper die fruchtigen und süßen Anteile des Rums im Zaum. Es gibt zarten Akazienhonig, aber auch etwas Piment und Nelken. Total irre. Gegenüber den deutlich jüngeren Encrypted Editionen hat dieser Nine Leaves tatsächlich Tiefe und einen langen Abgang. Der Alkohol ist sehr gut eingebunden, der Rum hat Kraft und ist absolut eigen in seinem gesamten Charakter.
Review by DutchRumPirate
Rum tasting met vriend. Een typische Nine Leaves rum van deze serie. Zelfde in neus en mond. Alleen vatsterkte kwa smaak komt beetje naar voren. Wel meer bloemig en romig. Lekkere rum maar niet overtuigend verschil met andere nine leaves
Review by Buddudharma
Für mich mit Abstand der beste der Serie. Ab diesem Alter ergänzt der Fasseinfluss das Profil wirklich gut, die Whiskynote ist weitgehend verschwunden, dafür treten Tannine und Süße stärker in den Vordergrund, was Tiefe und Ausgewogenheit bringt. Bin gespannt, wohin sich noch länger gelagerte Abfüllungen entwickeln.
Review by Morten Nørregaard Rasmussen
Whisky live 2024. Nice experience❤️
Review by Adrianv
Much better to Ex Russian Oak and Ex Bourbon... smooth, better balanced, still too bitter for me. But nice overall.
Review by Dr.Django
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.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
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! 😅
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Market value
Avg. community purchase price 231 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Velier Nine Leaves Ex-American Oak 2014
A rum from Japan, bottled by Velier, at 59%.
Community purchases
14 bottles logged by 13 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
14% opened, 2 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier Nine Leaves Ex-American Oak 2014?
Community paid 209–365 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
14 purchased · 41 tasted · 29 wishlist · as of
About the Nine Leaves distillery
The Nine Leaves distillery is located in Japan. Rums from Nine Leaves have been reviewed 845 times with an average of 8.0/10.
To Nine Leaves →Read on in the RumX Guide
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