Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Nine Leaves Russian Virgin Oak 2017
"You can either love it or hate it," as one taster put it — and that's the honest read. This Japanese Nine Leaves from Velier leans herbal, vegetal and medicinal, with prunes, sugarcane and dry oak. Several people compare it to whisky, mezcal or even plum liqueur. It's original and a little wild, but the 58% alcohol doesn't always feel fully tucked in.
- Genuinely original
- Herbal sugarcane character
- Long dry finish
+10
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How does Velier Nine Leaves Russian Virgin Oak 2017 taste?
Aggregated from 56 community reviews.
Wild, herbal-medicinal Japanese rum Polarizing and unmistakably Nine Leaves. Fans love the herbal, medicinal, sake-like oddness; others find it monotonous, whisky-adjacent, with hot alcohol. Original more than refined.
People who chase unusual spirits and like sake or mezcal crossovers
Anyone wanting classic Caribbean rum or smooth, well-integrated alcohol
How is Velier Nine Leaves Russian Virgin Oak 2017 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict , 8.0 lands squarely in the "Very good" band. 91% 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 56 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Based on 56 ratings
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4841 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 Medium intense, fruity, prunes, light apple, light wood, faint smoke, sugarcane, light medicinal, faint mint. Palate Warm, light wood, herbal, light vegetal, fresh, faint salt, sugarcane, faint olive, fruity. Finish Medium to long, light wood, fresh, sugarcane, spice, light mint, faint citrus. 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 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. This one is still relatively discreet with the unpleasant notes. Unfortunately, as with all of them, the alcohol is poorly integrated, otherwise there would be more here.
Review by Serge
Like the rest of the series, this one doesn't convince me either - in the walking part. Nine Leaves and I won't be friends ... I'm actually quite happy about that. Others are welcome to argue about it.
Review by Thunderbird
The last Nine Leaves series: I find the nose to be very fruity with apple and yellow fruit. I also perceive something vinous and sugar cane. On the palate, a little sweetness at the beginning that leads relatively into a mixture of umami, fruit, fresh vegetable and wine. A bitter note joins in at the end, which also accompanies the finish with spices. A very successful bottling
Review by Mirco
Kräftiger japanischer Rum mit klarem Kräuter‑ und Medizinprofil. In der Nase zeigen sich Dörrpflaumen, helle Apfel‑ und Minznoten, leicht holzig und etwas rauchig. Am Gaumen dominiert ein warmer, pflanzlicher Charakter mit Zitrus‑ und Zuckerrohranklängen. Das Finish ist mittellang, würzig und mit leichtem Menthol‑Abgang. Etwas weniger intensiv als andere Nine Leaves‑Releases, dafür eigenständig und facettenreich.
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 Timo Groeger
Store visit Rhum Attitude Brussels May 2025. Taken along as a sample. The third one that the salesman really celebrated. We don't quite agree on this one. Very herbal and medicinal on the nose. Lots of herbs on the palate too, very herbal and a little olive. Good but not very good.
Review by Jarek
Whisky Live Paris 2024 (trade fair evaluation, only overall rating and personal recommendation to buy): Again, the special profile of the entire Nine Leaves range present, but all less intense and coherent. I don't need to buy a bottle. Small Nine Leaves Cross Tasting - 2025-03-11: Again, my impression of WLP24 is confirmed, solid and interesting, but not outstanding.
Review by DomM
On the nose this one give bourbon vibes to me. Vanilla, some sweetness and candied fruits. Still some „heavy“ herbs in there, but way more nuanced than the American oak barrel of the same age. On the palate, the comparison versus the bourbon cask bottling is somewhat reversed. The virgin oak cask feels more mature and woody, yet also way less lively and more tamed overall. Still very good, however, less complex and interesting versus the sister cask.
Review by Oliver
Still a little wild on the palate.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Nase: Roter und grüner Apfel, Weihrauch, Sandelholz und diverse Kräuter wie Minze und Salbei. Sehr würzig und frisch. Geschmack: sehr frisch und leicht medizinisch mit einer dezenten bitteren Süße. Eukalyptus, Limettenschale, grüne Oliven in Salzlake, verbranntes Heu, Jod-Salbe und getrocknetes Obst wie Rosinen und Feigen, sowie dezent salzig. Als würde man Erkältungs-Balsam und Jod-Salbe mit Rosinen mischen, schon eine wilde Mischung. Nicht schlecht aber trifft nicht wirklich meinen Geschmack. Die Alkoholintegration ist finde ich sehr gut.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A wild Nine Leaves with character. The nose is intense, woody, smoky and spicy to the point of warming the nostrils. A touch of salt joins the herbaceous and medicinal aromas, which are also quite present. The fruitiness comes through with prune, while sugarcane adds a little creaminess to this rough, animal profile. Not bad, but lacks coherence between flavors. The attack on the palate is lively, marked by a duel between spices (pepper, salt) and vegetal, herbaceous, almost peaty notes. Dried fruit and lime meet medicinal notes and sugarcane in a jumble of flavors. The profile is warm and dry, a little unbalanced with alcohol, but has the merit of offering something different in the traditional world of rum. The finish is of medium length, but leans more towards vegetal and medicinal bitterness than the fruity side (lime-style citrus and dried fruit). Overall, the profile is harsh and beastly, certainly original, but the Russian oak cask doesn't seem the most appropriate. It remains to be seen what this kind of ageing might do to other types of rum.
Review by Nils123
Zugegeben hat er recht ungewöhnliche Aromen. Für mich ist er aber lecker und gut gelungen.
Review by TheJackDrop
Tasted at Whisky Live Paris 2024 - quick tasting notes, you've been warned. Another twit with this cask adding notes that were unknown to me. Lack of tasting notes, quite herbal and medicinal as I recall.
Review by Thibault
Un rhum particulierement surprenant, très liquoreux, qui dessine une vrai filiation avec le shochu, la liqueur de prune et le saké moelleux ! On est très (très) loin de la Caraïbe, mais moi j’aime bien :-). Cela évoquera aussi peut-être chez certain les Muscat, Gewürztraminer ou Jurançon ! Cela apporte un peu de diversité dans un bar où les profils de rhums peuvent parfois être proche les uns des autres.
Review by Giuseppe Ambrosio
C’è’ a chi piace e a chi no, a me piace molto, lo riconosco subito che e’ un Nine Leaves! La finitura in ex russian virgin oack gli dà più il colore che il tratto distintivo, quello a mio parere e’ dato dal sakè, quello che contraddistingue tutti i Nine Leaves, note un po’ acide e lieviti unici. Lo trovo solamente un po selvaggio. Al bicchiere e’ abbastanza viscoso ed al naso e’ ben definito e con toni floreali ed a erbacei. Al palato un po’ pungente e si sente tanto il retrogusto di sake ma a me non dispiace. Dopo una mezz’ora e’ più mansueto. Io ci ritrovo tanto la Nine Leaves in questo dram
Review by LesTontonsMaltés
Incroyable aromatique! WLP24
Review by Gasparini Andrea
Al naso sembra più un whisky, erbe aromatiche, dolce, marshmallow, caramello e sempre erbe aromatiche.
Review by Michal Jurka
Generally I fancy japanese rums. This one only confirms it. It is quite fresh, sweet, soury, salty at the same time, sugar cane, very medicinal and mineral, light smoke, light continental, yellow fruits, light wine, herbal. Really love this.
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Details about Velier Nine Leaves Russian Virgin Oak 2017
A rum from Japan, bottled by Velier, at 58%.
Community purchases
44 bottles logged by 39 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
11% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier Nine Leaves Russian Virgin Oak 2017?
Community paid €129–€222.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
44 purchased · 56 tasted · 8 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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