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Velier Nine Leaves Bourbon Barrel 2017
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People who like herbal, unusual sipping rums are the audience here. Expect sugarcane, eucalyptus, anise and citrus zest with a heavy bourbon-cask stamp — butterscotch, vanilla, oak. Several tasters compare the profile to a cross between agricole and mezcal. One reviewer called it "a strong rum with character." The catch: at 59% the alcohol isn't always tucked in, and the bourbon leans whisky-like for some.
The community says- Herbal, unusual profile
- Bourbon-cask caramel
- But: Whisky-like for some
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Nine Leaves Bourbon Barrel 2017 taste?
Summarized by AI from 52 community reviews.
Herbal, bourbon-cask Japanese sipper Loved by fans of herbal, offbeat Japanese rum; the bourbon cask adds caramel and roundness. A few find it too whisky-like and the alcohol not fully integrated.
Fans of herbal, offbeat Japanese and agricole-leaning rums
People who dislike whisky-like, high-ABV profiles
Style & occasion: Fresh & grassySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
21 of 52 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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Recommendation
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More intense
Velier Nine Leaves Ex-American Oak 2014
8.4/10
Drier
Romdeluxe Chairman's Reserve Master Selection (Romdeluxe) 2000
8.8/10188 €
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First choice: 30 of 33 tasters who tried both prefer it.
Community voices
What does the community say?
52 community reviews
23 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
Top 20% of Japan rums
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Ranges include their upper bound: “7–8” means above 7 up to and including 8. See the full rating guide
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Most helpful positive review
#4839 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, light wood, faint mint, light caramel, light peaches, spice, sugarcane, light floral. Palate Round, light floral, faint coconut, fruits, light sugarcane, faint caramel, light orange, faint pepper. Finish Medium to long, warm, light coconut, fruits, light citrus, light anise, light earthy. 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 Leo Krüper
Most helpful mixed review
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. Bourbon note, which many rum lovers will not like. But the rum doesn't have any off-notes like some others in the series.
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 LukaŽiga
8,3:On the nose, sugarcane, fresh, herbaceous, flowery, roasted wood notes with nuts, pastry, biscuits, spicy, citrus fruits with lime, peaches, bump into our nosetrils. On aeration, bourbon touch is obvious with butterscotch, the wood becomes resinous, juniper joins, the cane peppery, salty and mineral. 8,6:On the palate, the attack is creamy with roasted wood notes like butterscotch or caramel, cream, later pastry, leather, quite spicy, salty, bourbon fruits like toasted coconut, citrus fruits with orange, lime peel, dried apricots and yellow fruits, as the cane is flowery, when well oxidized, herbaceous, earthy. 8,4:The finish is long, dry, with peppery sugarcane, herbaceous, earthy with tobacco and hints of peat, darker with hints of licorice, roasted wood notes, spicy, citrus and yellow fruits, some metallic patina. Edit:18.4.26
Review by SaibotZtar
A very special drop... In the nose peach, orange, bourbon, pepper and clearly floral notes is getting better and better with time and I already like it. On the palate a little sweetness with peach, a little peppery spiciness and sugar cane. The bourbon barrel is also very clear on the palate, which I personally like. Slightly reminiscent of a cognac.
Review by Dr.Django
last drops: pflanzlich, grasig und rauchig. Schmeckt wie eine Kreuzung aus Agricole und Mezcal. Interessant unf lecker. 81 Pkt. 2017 bourbon barrel 7yr: Die Nase ist sehr gut, sehr intensiv nach Bourbon. Am Gaumen ebenfalls sehr Bourbonlastig, die anderen Aromen gehen etwas unter im schlecht eingebundenen Alkohol. Hintenraus im Abgang kommen noch frische Früchte zum Vorschein. 72 Pkt. russian oak: Wesentlich vollmundiger und intensiver am Gaumen. Trockenfrüchte, Holz und Leder, dazu eine interessante süße Note, die ich gerade nicht zuordnen kann. Der Abgang ist mittellang und warm. Doch auch hier könnte der Alkohol besser eingebunden sein. 75 Pkt. american oak 2016: Von der Nase dem Bourbon Barrell sehr ähnlich. Am Gaumen dann bislang der geschmeidigste mit gut eingebundenem Alkohol. Der Abgang mittwllang, trocken mit getrockneten roten Früchten und Holz. 78 Pkt. ex-american oak 2014: Interessant fruchtig mit einer ähnlichen süße, die ich kaum definieren kann. Irgendwas mit karamell und Fruchtgummi aus Bonn. Der Alkohol ist gut eingebunden, der Abgang mittellang und trocken. 79 Pkt. Alles interessante Abfüllungen, die ihrem Hype meiner Meinung nach nicht gerecht werden. Wobei der Hype sich eher um die Geschichte der Destille dreht und nicht um den Geschmack der Rums. Was mich nach dem kleinen Tasting nicht wundert.
Review by DomM
First impression on the nose was Ouzo for me. There is a lot of herbs in this one. Plenty of anise in there indeed. With some time this gets even „thicker“, however. I would disprove this as a spruce / forrest nose. Heavy on herbal and green notes. More sweetness with cream toffee and vanilla on the palate than expected. Cream texture with bourbon influence on an sugar cane profile. Much more accessible than I expected from the nose.
Review by Jarek
Whisky Live Paris 2024 (trade fair evaluation, only overall rating and personal recommendation to buy): Again, the special profile of the whole Nine Leaves range present, but too restrained for my taste. I don't have to have a bottle. Small Nine Leaves Cross Tasting - 2025-03-11: The bourbon cask is perceptible on the palate and in the finish. Quite drinkable, but despite its comparatively good availability, the sample is enough for me.
Review by Mirco
Balanced, modern Japanese rum with an unusual profile. Herbal notes meet a fine sweetness, accompanied by some mint, light smoke, and subtle fruit nuances. On the palate, it feels mild and harmonious, with a pleasant drinking flow. Not particularly complex, but definitely exciting and well made.
Review by DutchRumPirate
2 tasting: more fruity, round and a little bit rubber/ dirt that I remember. Score is the same. Rum tasting at a friend's house. Nose: Same as the first Nine Leaves, but now with more woody, smoky, and floral notes. Vanilla and lime zest. Palace: Less dry than the first. More spicy and smoky. You can clearly taste the bourbon barrel. Finish: Medium and smoky. Floral.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
On the nose very elegant and balanced aromas of lime, lemongrass, caramel, eucalyptus, yellow and tropical fruits such as mango and persimmon and of course intense bourbon flavors. On the palate, the bourbon barrel is clearly noticeable but there are also aromas of persimmon, lime and orange peel, vanilla and caramel as well as some coconut but also slightly floral after some oriental massage oil (ylang ylang)? 😅 Definitely very oily and pleasant to drink with a pleasant, subtle sweetness. Reminds me subtly of matured Reimonenq or Pere Labat. Very tasty but not absolutely outstanding.
Review by Thunderbird
Nine Leaves Series No.2: On the nose I perceive sweet/sour yeast notes, drilling gum, and slight currant aromas. On the palate it spreads pleasantly soft but is quite one-dimensional here. Besides a lot of spice, I perceive a bitter note that bothers me a bit. Unfortunately, this continues in the finish.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A more sensual Japanese rum thanks to the bourbon barrel. The nose retains the Nine Leaves archetype of fresh, floral and earthy character, warm spices (chili, pepper, salt) and rather exotic fruitiness, with yuzu lemon to the fore. The sugar cane is sweeter and honeyed, the caramel more present, and the bourbon rounds out the Asian profile, which is generally rather spicy. Citrus fruits lead a dazzling counter-attack, captivating the palate with their sweet acidity. Bourbon has a notable influence here, promoting spices (vanilla, pepper, chili), caramel and toasted oak. The sugarcane is softer, the vegetal and peaty notes more subtle. The profile is less extreme, perhaps less peachy, but more balanced. The alcohol is well integrated into the profile. The finish is pleasant, with good length, at a crossroads between fruit (lime, dried fruit), earthy aromas (tobacco, peat), spices and the sweetness of bourbon. The result is a round, elegant rum. The profile is pleasant to drink and well-balanced, but unfortunately loses some of its medicinal edge in favor of additional gourmandise. Nonetheless, the bourbon cask has done its job perfectly and seems to fit in well with the Japanese style. It remains to be seen whether future vintages will follow the same pattern.
Review by Nils123
Also unusual, like RX 21838, but tasty and well made for me.
Review by Martin Spooner
Wonderful peppery nose also with a nice sweetness. Also on the palate really great rum. Already round and toasty. Pepper and bourbon. I definitely have to secure a bottle. However, not a 9.
Review by Serge
Ah ... much better than the white one. The rich bourbon notes suit the distillate very well. The whisky-like notes are barely perceptible. You can drink it like that. Doesn't blow me away, but I drank the sample ... edit: went down the sink after all.
Review by Александр Иванов
Wow ! First Japanese rum. Nose: light & complex. Lot of spices, nuts, some woody notes, maybe dry cherry , sandal, some tobacco. Taste: Boom ! It's a mix of spices, wood, nuts, and amazing herbals. Eucalyptus, anise, tobacco. Fantastic. Aftertaste: long & complex. Lot of dry herbs, nuts, spices & pleasant woody notes. It's sooo interesting. I love this one.
Review by Michal Jurka
Fresh, flowers, sugarcane, citruses, yellow fruits, lightly mineral... Quite similar to RX21836 russian oak, but this one lacks the soury-salty notes and is "sweeter" and fruitier. (Interesting is, when I washed it down with water, I got this light sulfuric aftertaste in my mouth that I vividly remember from the Velier japoniani bottling)
Review by Buddudharma
Significantly better than the Last Drops, the cask brings nice notes and a certain sweetness here. Still overall too close to whisky character for my taste.
Review by Adrianv
Similar to Ex Russian Oak, bit more wide for me, some complexity, otherwise very similar, not bad, different...
Review by Richard Krupa
Peach and orange peel in the nose and taste
Review by Carlitooo
Erstaunlich fruchtig
Review by Jindrich Strobl
Very nice, strong rum with character
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Community shelf
40 bottles logged by 35 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
15% opened, 2 emptied.
What did the community pay for Velier Nine Leaves Bourbon Barrel 2017?
Community paid 137–211 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 185 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
40 purchased · 52 tasted · 9 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Nine Leaves Bourbon Barrel 2017
A rum from Japan, bottled by Velier, at 59%.
About the Nine Leaves distillery
The Nine Leaves distillery is located in Japan. Rums from Nine Leaves have been reviewed 865 times with an average of 8.0/10.
To Nine Leaves →Read on in the RumX Guide
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