Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Diamond S<W> SW 1981
Dark chocolate, leather and pineapple sit over a "noble" oak that, after 31 years of tropical aging, edges into real bitterness. This is column-still Diamond from Velier — rich, spiced with pepper and cinnamon, and complex enough that new flavors keep surfacing. Many find it needs a drop of water to open. Loved, but several tasters still rate the younger Diamonds higher.
The community says- Deeply complex
- Rich chocolate-leather
- Well integrated 60%
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Diamond S<W> SW 1981 taste?
Aggregated from 54 community reviews.
Old, complex Demerara with woody bitterness A rare, deeply complex old Demerara. Most call it a privilege to taste, though the tropical-aged bitterness and heavy wood keep some from top marks — and several prefer the younger Diamonds.
Fans of old tropical-aged Demerara who don't mind bitterness
Anyone put off by heavy oak and bitter notes
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
22 of 54 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Velier Diamond S<W> SW 1981 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.2 sits in the “Excellent” band. 100% 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?
100% rate it 8 or higher. 13 selected write-ups from 54 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Aussierumfan
A stunning rum that is a privilege to taste in today's age! In fact this is the oldest vintage demerara I have tried to date. You can smell its tropical old age, musty, tobacco and wood which i enjoy! On the palate it's very complex and balanced, I'm getting more leather, but with some dark chocolate, a lot wood, and is a bit bitter which is slightly jarring. If you like old demeraras you will be in your happy place with this! I must say though, as much as I enjoy this, I still rate the younger diamonds better, I really appreciated the 1999 diamond and I think it's better than this one. High praise though, this is still a ripping rum.
Review by GigiMartini
Bevuto da un sample riempito a metà quasi 4 anni fa. Faccio questa premessa solo per sottolineare la possibilità che questo campione sia evoluto perdendo le note più sgradevoli che altri vi hanno trovato. Assaggiato solo in purezza, senza diluizione, l'ho trovato molto equilibrato. Piuttosto gentile sia al naso che al palato, finale lungo ma non lunghissimo. Non molto complesso, ma sempre gradevole. Dopo oltre un'ora nel bicchiere, ha avuto una evoluzione piuttosto contenuta. E tuttavia, gli aromi sono piacevoli in tutta la degustazione, nessuna nota eccessivamente amara. Il legno è percepibile, e tuttavia mai sgradevole.
Review by TheRhumhoe
Un Dieu parmi les rhums de l’Olympe. Malgré le vieillissement, ce Diamond a conservé beaucoup d’arômes et a dû clairement se bonnifier au fur et à mesure. On retrouve au nez des arômes très gourmands, tournés sur le sucre Demerara, les épices, un boisé noble qui n’est pas envahissant, des fruits exotiques et du tabac. La noisette, la colle, le café moka, le chocolat et les notes de toffee nous plongent vers un univers très équilibré, complexe et séduisant. L’attaque en bouche est d’une souplesse remarquable. Très épicée (piment, réglisse, anis, cannelle, vanille, herbes aromatiques), sombre (chocolat noir, noisette grillée, café, tabac, cuir et notes rôties) et à la fois fruitée (fruits exotiques et secs) et gourmande (crème au caramel), la bouche offre un festival gustatif impressionnant qui éveille les sens. L’alcool est très bien intégré, les saveurs très agréables, la profondeur et la complexité sont présentes. Le bois n’a pas pris le dessus sur les saveurs. On a clairement affaire à un grand rhum. La finale, très longue, présente une certaine amertume avec le chocolat noir, des notes chaudes d’épices, le café, le cuir, la noisette et le tabac. Les fruits tropicaux (ananas, noix de coco) sont plus en retrait. Un rhum extraordinaire qui mérite une place au panthéon, aussi bien pour sa qualité que sa malheureuse spéculation.
Review by Mike H.
I’m very happy to have sampled one of my many unicorns. There are a lot of flavors present in this rum, the nose and mouth are excellent. But there is a bitterness that is a little deranging. This is a very high end rum that isn’t worth what one would have to pay for a bottle today though.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
We had a wonderful pure Diamond tasting yesterday and what a tasting. This one was the piece de resistance and we all found the it needed a bit of water to call hither all the flavours. Without water it came on like something was missing. A very rare and extremely expensive bottle.
Review by Maxence
A perfect round rum in my opinion. Some yellow fruits like pineapple, mango or citrus add more depth, balance and complexity to the profile compared to other round Demeraras like Uitvlugt, Blairmont or some 1996 Caroni like #5542. A genuine masterclass 🥰
Review by RumRhush
C’est très gourmand tout ça belle concentration Final interminable très boisé (Quand même l’impression au bout d’une heure d’avoir mangé une planche de bois mais j’imagine que ça fait parti de l’expérience) un rhum de compétition
Review by Bob the Drunker
Fantastic rum for sure, tried diamond 1996 SSN and diamond svw 1999 before this, this adds a bit more complexities from the woody influence in a nice way, and that’s the difference to earn one more point from me
Review by Jakob
Quite present bitter note, which is not surprising in view of 31 years of tropical maturation (per se already extremely extreme). Besides but concentrated Diamond power - top rum.
Review by Anders Bovien
So sweet mouth feel and many claim to woody I absolutely not agree I love the balance and palate that keeps flowing with herbs and sweet fruits in the back mouth
Review by Giorgio Garotti
I have to say that for this rum I was expecting an absolute level... instead I appreciate the Diamond ones with less aging more!The level is still high though!
Review by Thomsen
Så mange lag at for hver nip til glasset kommer der nye smage frem, fremragende!
Review by Oliver
Wahnsinns Rum. Geht Richtung Albion-Profil.
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Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 2104 € – 3683 €
from 4 sales, latest 03/2026
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 2000 €
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 Diamond S<W> SW 1981
A rum from Guyana, bottled by Velier, at 60,1%.
How do you read a Diamond bottle? The RumX guide →
Community purchases
45 bottles logged by 36 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
13% opened, 3 emptied and repurchased.
What does Velier Diamond S<W> SW 1981 cost?
Community paid 350–2,404 €.
Current best price: 3195.00 € – above the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
45 purchased · 55 tasted · 35 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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Velier Albion AN 1994Dense, oily Demerara, dark and complex
Velier Uitvlugt UF30E UF30E 1985
Velier Uitvlugt UF30E UF30E 1985Rich, evolving old Demerara with a long finish
Velier Enmore ELCR ELCR 1995
Velier Enmore ELCR ELCR 1995Dark, complex old Enmore with heat well hidden
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum (Old Whisky) HTR 1996
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum (Old Whisky) HTR 1996Dirty, sweet Caroni with hidden 70% punch
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Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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