Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Nine Leaves Spanish Oak 2018
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A sake note running through a rum is the first thing that catches people here — this Japanese Nine Leaves, aged 7 years in Spanish oak and bottled by Velier, pairs that with yuzu citrus, honey, brown sugar and vanilla-pepper spice. Several tasters called it the best of the batch, with one describing the dense finish as like "chewing a licorice stick." Oily, dry, still clearly experimental.
The community says- Spanish oak spice
- Yuzu and honey
- But: Sake note polarizes
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Nine Leaves Spanish Oak 2018 taste?
Summarized by AI from 17 community reviews.
Oaky, yuzu-and-sake Japanese sipper Most tasters rate it the pick of the Nine Leaves lineup — well-integrated oak, spice and yuzu — but call it a tasting-club rum more than an everyday pour. Sake note divides.
Aroma profileCurious drinkers who want an oaky, unusual Japanese rum with a sake edge
Anyone after an easy, sweet everyday pour or put off by the sake note
Style & occasion: Fresh & grassyMature & oakySipping neat
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Community voices
What does the community say?
17 community reviews
5 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
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Ranges include their upper bound: “7–8” means above 7 up to and including 8. See the full rating guide
Review by cigares
Most helpful positive review
A rum tasted at Whisky Live Paris in 2025. A rather ample nose with, as always with Nine Leaves, a sake side, yellow fruits and a woody and vanilla sweetness. Sweetness and bitterness on the palate with a solid first impression. The sake framework is fortunately in the background here. The finish is long with woody support. Both single casks made a good impression but I preferred the Spanish oak for its better integration of the alcohol.
Review by zabo
Most helpful mixed review
Well, after the Nine Leaves Red Wine Rum, this one is a bit better, but that's not hard. But overall, this bottling doesn't really appeal to me either. The best thing is simply the label again.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#5716 27.09.2025 Day one of the Whisky Live 2025, which this year looks better organized/arranged inside. This one was also a bit disappointing though the wood is more obvious and stronger citrus notes as well as some light vanilla and honey.
Review by TheRhumhoe
Clearly the best release from Nine Leaves in the Whisky Live 2025 batch (which isn’t hard considering the performance of the other expressions). The nose shows a nice woodiness brought by the Spanish oak, offering beautiful supporting spices (vanilla, pepper). Yuzu lemon, honey, brown sugar, caramel, and sake form a round and fairly well-crafted ensemble. The vegetal notes come in later, adding diversity. On the palate, the profile is marked by oak, spices (anise, chili, vanilla), vegetal and fruity notes (dried fruits, yuzu lemon), and sake. The profile is oily and retains some roundness with fruits, sugarcane, and honey notes. You can tell the spirit is fuller-bodied with the Spanish oak, and it goes quite well with the rest of the aromas. The alcohol is pretty well integrated. The finish is moderately long, dry, and sharpened by the oak (which leaves a strong imprint on the palate), spices, sake, yuzu lemon, and vegetal hints before everything fades away. A rather balanced, interesting profile whose experimentation is successful compared to other expressions of the same style.
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
This year, I was able to taste the entire lineup, and... unfortunately, it's not any better. The rums are younger (2017 to 2020) and, overall, even less convincing. The series mainly focuses on the finishes: 2020 Sherry Pedro Ximénez – 60% and 59% 2018 Spanish Oak – 59% 2018 Armagnac Cask – 59% 2017 Red Wine Cask – 60% If I had to save one, it would be the 2018 Spanish Oak: a dense, full-bodied finish, with that impression of "chewing on a licorice stick." Interesting, without being transcendent. You can clearly feel that this range remains experimental, searching for a balance between the base and the type of aging. But for now, I have to admit: I'm not the target audience. More rhums for tasting than for pleasure, perfect for a tasting club or a discovery session, but not really bottles I'd want to keep in my bar.
Community shelf
6 bottles logged by 6 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
0% opened, 0 emptied.
What did the community pay for Velier Nine Leaves Spanish Oak 2018?
Avg. community purchase price 256 €.
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
6 purchased · 18 tasted · 5 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Nine Leaves Spanish Oak 2018
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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