Velier Diamond S<W> 1981
Loved by Thomsen, Oliver & 49 more
For seasoned enthusiasts only: a 31‑year, 60.1% tropical-aged Diamond that explodes with dark chocolate, coffee, exotic fruit and deep wood spice. RumX members hail it as world‑class, sample‑worthy and unforgettable.
- World‑class complexity
- Noble tropical wood
- Endless finish
+9
Details about Velier Diamond S<W> 1981
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
How does Velier Diamond S<W> 1981 taste?
Aggregated from 52 community reviews.
Bucket‑list old Velier Diamond For seasoned enthusiasts only: a 31‑year, 60.1% tropical-aged Diamond that explodes with dark chocolate, coffee, exotic fruit and deep wood spice. RumX members hail it as world‑class, sample‑worthy and unforgettable.
Seasoned Demerara fans who enjoy very old, high‑ABV column still rums with dark chocolate, coffee, tobacco, exotic fruit and assertive oak from long tropical aging.
Beginners, anyone sensitive to 60% ABV, or drinkers who dislike bitterness, heavy wood and higher price tags in their rums.
How is Velier Diamond S<W> 1981 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 9.2 lands squarely in the "Excellent" band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Rum reviews
A selection of the most popular reviews from our community. You can view the complete list in our app.
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.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by Who Rhum The World
Read full review →
Community purchases
68 bottles logged by 52,000+ RumX members. The ratio of closed / opened / emptied, indicates whether this rum is meant to be drunk or is a collector's item.
Also on the wishlist of 31 members.
About the Diamond distillery
The Diamond distillery is located in Guyana. Rums from Diamond have been reviewed 5,068 times with an average of 8.3/10.
To Diamond →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Velier Uitvlugt UF30E 1985
Velier Uitvlugt UF30E 1985World‑class, legendary Demerara powerhouse
Velier Enmore ELCR 1995
Velier Enmore ELCR 1995World‑class, intense old Enmore Demerara
Velier Albion AN 1994
Velier Albion AN 1994Iconic, dark and endlessly complex Demerara
Velier Diamond SVW 1996
Velier Diamond SVW 1996Mythic, cask‑strength Diamond benchmark
Velier Diamond SSN 1996
Velier Diamond SSN 1996World‑class, dessert‑like Demerara powerhouse
Velier Diamond <S> 1999
Velier Diamond <S> 1999Dark, heavy Demerara benchmark
Don't miss out on any more deals on Velier Diamond S<W> 1981.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver — together with Jakob, Robert and Lukas, we started RumX in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as a digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence — without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →