Velier Saint James Velier 70th Anniversary 2008
For seasoned enthusiasts, this cask strength Saint James agricole is dry, intense and complex. Expect dark chocolate, heavy oak, roasted coffee, tobacco, dried fruits and grassy sugarcane. Best neat with time or a few drops of water. Backed by 73 strong RumX reviews, it’s considered a top-tier, demanding agricole experience.
- Serious complexity
- Deep dark flavors
- Long, dry finish
Details about Velier Saint James Velier 70th Anniversary 2008
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
How does Velier Saint James Velier 70th Anniversary 2008 taste?
Aggregated from 73 community reviews.
Dry, woody, high-powered agricole hit For seasoned enthusiasts, this cask strength Saint James agricole is dry, intense and complex. Expect dark chocolate, heavy oak, roasted coffee, tobacco, dried fruits and grassy sugarcane. Best neat with time or a few drops of water. Backed by 73 strong RumX reviews, it’s considered a top-tier, demanding agricole experience.
Seasoned agricole fans who enjoy very dry, oak-heavy, high-ABV rums with roasted coffee, dark chocolate and tobacco notes that open up with patience and possibly a splash of water.
Beginners, those sensitive to high ABV, or drinkers who prefer soft, sweet, low-oak profiles over dry, tannic, cask strength agricoles.
How is Velier Saint James Velier 70th Anniversary 2008 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 8.6 lands squarely in the "Very good" band. 97% 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 MarcT
Last one of my little St. James flight, I like this one the most. It is rare I find an aged Agricole still being fruity, herbal and woody. This has it all. However, it is quite intense, and most definitely needs time to appreciate - do not sip it lazily by the side.
Review by Joachim Guger
Typical Saint James profile. Naturally very powerful, prior ventilation necessary. Lavender in the base, for which the Velier 10 edition is notorious, only here it fits well. In the mouth it is simply too strong. A few drops of water make it drinkable. Very spicy and woody. Very good. Ranks in the top league of Saint James.
Review by alex
Superb. Very surprising The nose is woody but light. You can smell the cognac. Same on the palate, with the cognac taking over, delicious. Alcohol very well integrated, especially after 15/20 mins aeration. Very good length 😍😍😍
Review by cigares
A dark nose marked by old oak, with dark chocolate, prunes and a fresh, sour apple character. Smooth on the palate, the entry is almost discreet, still on the dark side and with less fruit than on the nose. A hint of spiciness and pepperiness spoils my enjoyment just a little. The finish is marked by sour apple and prune. The finish is long and the final notes are woody, but with a vanilla-like quality that softens the oak, which is quite present. The empty glass is marked by yellow fruit. A fairly coherent rum with diverse expressions that give it a lovely complexity. A very fine St James. A far cry from the splendid BdF 1999, which remains my benchmark.
Review by Insta: spiritofbernard 🇫🇷
Saint James has it under the hood. In my opinion, this is just the beginning of the brand's premiumization.
Review by Leo Krüper
In fact, a touch better than the Les Ephemeres. Nice and strong and wild. Could I drink forever
Review by Benoit Mahe
A demanding rum, a little dark but far from being bad.
Review by Vincent D
I was expecting a very woody nose, a la Saint James. It is, but this 2008 vintage has much more to say. The sweetness of caramel, dark chocolate (not too bitter) and apricot is counterbalanced by darker notes of tobacco and woody tannins. On the palate, this sweetness is lost, and the rum plunges into a very woody, bitter mouthfeel. Tobacco again. Then a hint of caramel. A lovely rum, quite typical of what I know of St James.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
This is a very dry rum and it's very obvious that it's been made in French oak.
Review by Thunderbird
Once again an excellent Agricole! In addition to a lot of wood, the grassy herbaceous flavors come out clearly here! The finish is quite long and intense... the high-proof Saint James have a new fan...so Agricole makes really fun
Review by Frank
17th day in the Christmas calendar. Blind! Clearly Agricole, clearly Martinique, the rest is fine-tuning 😉 Nose: strong and spicy, yet fresh and fruity. The alcohol bites a little at the beginning. Clearly woody. But the grassy sugar cane is very clear. Dark fruit and lemon with blackberry, dry raisin. Somewhat smoky, tobacco, earthy, black pepper with a hint of vanilla, a little acidity, like red wine. Palate: spicy, sugar cane juice, slightly candied orange peel, sweet-grassy, hazelnut on the back, earthy, root, tobacco Hay, sugar cane and licorice on the finish. A wonderful representative of Martinique!
Review by Rodolphe
J'ai entendu et Lu des choses très différentes sur ce rhum. Et bien je dois dire que je me rangé dans le camp de ceux qui l'ont apprécié. C'est complexe, complet et franchement super bon. Oui l'alcool est présent, mais malgré sa puissance, ce rhum à un coté doux. Super jus.
Review by mto75
I was excited to try a St. James with a really high ABV level, and I think the 'experiment' was a success. However, it needs some time to open up, but then beautiful spicy notes such as allspice, clove, vanilla, chocolate and grass appear. The palate is also pleasing, the alcohol is well integrated, with spices, wood and pepper. Hay and a roasted chocolate note on the finish.
Review by Simon Leroux
What a rum! Complex, powerful and delicious
Review by Maxime Clr 🇫🇷
Promising nose with lots of finesse, cleaner palate with wood, sweet pepper, spice, caramel typical of Saint James. A very fine bottle.
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 Préférence Rhum
Read full review →
Expert review by Tasting Bro's
Read full review →
Community purchases
118 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 32 members.
About the Saint James distillery
The Saint James distillery is located in Martinique. Rums from Saint James have been reviewed 4,584 times with an average of 8.1/10.
To Saint James →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Velier Saint James Brut de fût 2001
Velier Saint James Brut de fût 2001Intense, oak‑driven aged agricole
Saint James Les Éphémères - N°5 2005
Saint James Les Éphémères - N°5 2005Dry, woody, mentholated agricole hitter
Saint James J. Bally Art Déco #2
Saint James J. Bally Art Déco #2Elegant, woody citrus agricole sipper
Saint James Single Cask 1997
Saint James Single Cask 1997J. Bally Brut de Fût (LMDW) 2006
J. Bally Brut de Fût (LMDW) 2006Dark, woody agricole powerhouse
J. Bally Brut de fût 2007
J. Bally Brut de fût 2007Intense woody-fruity agricole sipper
Don't miss out on any more deals on Velier Saint James Velier 70th Anniversary 2008.
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 →
