Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Nine Leaves American Oak 2016
Sip this neat and slow — at 59% it runs hot, so a drop of water helps. You get sugarcane, honey and walnuts up front, then a fresh vegetal, minty side that a few tasters compared to Armagnac or even agricole crossed with mezcal. The 8-year American oak adds spice and a dry, slightly bitter floral finish. Distinct, not for casual sipping.
- Sugarcane-honey nose
- Fresh vegetal character
- Dry, floral finish
+10
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How does Velier Nine Leaves American Oak 2016 taste?
Aggregated from 48 community reviews.
Fresh, nutty Japanese rum, runs hot A divisive Japanese rum: fans love the fresh sugarcane-honey-nut nose, but several find the palate hot, peppery and a touch unbalanced. Often called the simpler one in this Nine Leaves set.
Fans of dry, vegetal Japanese rum and Armagnac-style profiles
People who want smooth, sweet, low-proof sipping
How is Velier Nine Leaves American Oak 2016 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict , 8.2 lands squarely in the "Very good" band. 97% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Rum reviews
Selected write-ups from 48 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Based on 48 ratings
Review by cigares
A rum tasted at Whisky Live in Paris in 2024. The nose features tropical fruit, banana and dried fruit. Vegetal notes add freshness. Lively on the palate, then the fruit becomes more powerful. A slight dip on the palate, the alcohol comes through a little, then the dried fruit lingers on the finish. A fine Nine Leaves, but far less interesting, for my taste, than the 10-year-old.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4840 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, light vegetal, faint nutts, light banana, light mint, faint iodine, light honey. Palate Medium intense, fruits, light honey, light citrus, light vegetal, light floral, sugarcane, light banana, faint coconut. Finish Long and warm, fruits, citrus, light coconut, faint ginger, medium spicy, 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 zabo
In the test today were the canidates from the Bourbon, Russian and American (2016) barrel. I couldn't really taste any major differences, and they are all very similar. All in all, none of the three really blew me away. If I had to give a ranking, it would look like this: RX21838 RX21835 RX21836
Review by Thunderbird
Nine Leaves Series No.3 On the nose I perceive honey, vanilla, something nutty and slightly vinous tropical fruits. That fits. On the palate, there's initially a distinctive sweetness followed by a peppery, roasted side... I also notice a hint of citrus fruit. The finish is on the spicy side. Overall, the whole thing doesn't really harmonize in my opinion. Too bad
Review by Leo Krüper
Strange notes in this set that I find difficult to describe. With the original Nine Leaves, they were not so present to me. It reminds me most of yeast spirit from beer breweries. There is also a cedar note here that is too present and almost pungent.
Review by Mirco
Gelungene Abfüllung aus Japan, die durch Frische, leichte Kräuternoten und eine dezente Fruchtsüße punktet. Etwas grüner Apfel, Zitrus und eine feine Würze begleiten den angenehm strukturierten Körper. Macht Spaß und hebt sich vom Standard ab.
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 DomM
More balanced on the nose versus the younger bottlings from the set. Sweetness, (candied) fruits, a hint of spearmint, some honey and vanilla from the cask. Nice! On the palate a bit more complexity than the one year younger bottlings. Rich honey sweetness with noticeable bourbon influence. Retains a floral character with some spices at the edges.
Review by Jarek
Whisky Live Paris 2024 (Messebewertung, nur Gesamtnote und persönliche Kaufempfehlung): Auch hier das spezielle Profil der ganzen Nine Leaves Reihe vorhanden und insgesamt die drittbeste Abfüllung davon. Muss ich aber trotzdem keine Flasche haben. kleines Nine Leaves Cross Tasting - 2025-03-11: Bei dem hier muss ich meine Bewertung gegenüber WLP24 etwas nach unten korrigieren. Der 21838 aus dem Bourbon-Fass gefällt mir diesmal etwas besser.
Review by Serge
Puh … also ich kann die Faszination für diese Rums einfach nicht nachvollziehen. Mit der malzigen Frucht von Whiskys sowie Agricole Noten vereinen die einfach alles, was ich an Rums nicht mag. Der hier ist wieder etwas schlimmer als der Ex Bourbon.
Review by TheRhumhoe
This is the Nine Leaves that least convinced me of the Velier range presented at Whisky Live 2024. The nose is interesting, however, with earthy, vegetal and animal notes (musk), iodized sugarcane, dried fruit (grapes, prunes) and spices coming to the fore, along with oak and walnuts. The nose is powerful, but offers beautiful fragrances on olfaction. On the palate, the rum becomes strong, alcoholic, very hot with spices and oak, and therefore less pleasant. Vegetal notes, citrus and the sweeter, honeyed side of the cane don't compensate in the balance of power. Despite some fine aromas, the profile remains unbalanced and lacks finesse. The finish leaves the impression of a hot potato on the palate, with spices (chili, pepper) and notes of earth and peat dominating. Some citrus and dried fruit are discernible, but the profile remains aggressive compared to other vintages. A brutal Nine Leaves, less well constructed than its peers despite its undeniable terroir quality.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Nase: reife Banane und frisch geknackte Walnüsse, etwas Minze, sowie Traubenmost und Jod. Erinnert mich sehr an Armagnac! Geschmack: Starke Armagnac Assoziationen. Banane und Traube, Walnüsse, Trockenobst, sowie Honig, Zimt und intensive Eichenfass Noten und Tannine. Im Abgang kommen Ingwer, frischer Szechuan Pfeffer, Ceylon Zimt und Zitrusfrüchte sowie geröstete Kokosnuss dazu, außerdem floral und pflanzlich, sowie leider auch leicht modrig. Alles aber in einem sehr trockenen Gewand mit sehr wenig Süße, aber dennoch angenehm zu trinken. 8y Reifung könnte man hier blind schnell auf einige Jahre mehr tippen. Blind wäre ich eher bei Saint James. Der Unterschied zu den beiden 7y alten ist enorm! Erinnert mich stark an die alten encrypted Nine leaves bei denen ich manche wirklich stark fand. Insgesamt der Komplexeste würde ich sagen.
Review by Adrianv
This one is not as good as Ex American Oak.. less rounded, simple, narrow.. It does deliver nice bitter floral aftertaste, so overall fine with me.
Review by Buddudharma
Die zunehmende Fassreifung gefällt mir, auch deshalb, weil der Grundcharakter durch die Fassnoten etwas neutralisiert wird und zusätzliche Tiefe und Komplexität hinzukommt. Somit schon recht interessant.
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Details about Velier Nine Leaves American Oak 2016
A rum from Japan, bottled by Velier, at 59%.
Community purchases
12 bottles logged by 12 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
8% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier Nine Leaves American Oak 2016?
Community paid €158–€354.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
12 purchased · 49 tasted · 28 wishlist · as of
About the Nine Leaves distillery
The Nine Leaves distillery is located in Japan. Rums from Nine Leaves have been reviewed 819 times with an average of 8.0/10.
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