Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Clarendon Exclusive for Guiseppe Begnoni EMB 1997
Sip this one slowly and neat — at nearly 70% it's built for a tasting glass, not cola. Expect grilled pineapple, ester and varnish up front, then dark chocolate, coffee, tobacco and menthol over deep tropical-matured oak. One taster nailed the smell as glue, polish and "fresh banana bread." The heat is well tucked in, but it still scorches the throat. Long, drying, herbal finish.
The community says- Grilled pineapple, ester
- Superb alcohol integration
- Long drying finish
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Clarendon Exclusive for Guiseppe Begnoni EMB 1997 taste?
Aggregated from 82 community reviews.
Intense, wood-driven old Jamaican pot still Something close to a favorite Monymusk for many — intense, fruity and wood-driven with superb alcohol integration. A few find it too woody, spicy or short-finishing versus the 1995.
Experienced fans of high-ester, wood-driven old Jamaican rum
Beginners and anyone put off by heat, wood and glue notes
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
33 of 82 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Velier Clarendon Exclusive for Guiseppe Begnoni EMB 1997 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.1 sits in the “Excellent” band. 98% 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?
96% rate it 8 or higher. 14 selected write-ups from 82 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A true avant-garde, this Clarendon is a nugget that already foreshadowed the bright future of Clarendon today. The nose is particularly appealing, with exotic fruit, dried fruit and hints of cherry. The oak goes hand in hand with roasted notes, tobacco and cocoa. The spices are varied and intense (cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, chili, aniseed and clove). If there's a medicinal edge to the esters, glue and varnish, the caramel and pastries add a little roundness. Aeration gives a complex, very harmonious profile. The attack on the palate is extremely powerful, first herbaceous and minty, then bitter with tannins, before medicinal notes take over. The woodiness is very intense, with roasted notes, cocoa and espresso coffee. The spiciness comes through strongly with hints of anise, cinnamon, pepper and vanilla. Tropical fruit and caramel are more distant. The alcohol is well integrated but still perceptible. It's best to take precautions. The finish is almost eternal, with a vast aromatic spectrum: exotic fruitiness, bitter tannins, ester and glue notes, menthol, tobacco, black tea, spicy heat and woody, roasted notes offer a grand spectacle that stuns the palate. A very complex and intense rum that requires patience and experience to be fully appreciated.
Review by Joachim Guger
Super horny nose. Solvent, glue, polish, old dresser and then fresh banana bread. Dried fruit, tropical fruit. Warm, full, complex and slightly pungent alcohol.Warm, full, fat and oily in the mouth. Great barrel maturity, more than decent for its age and considering the time spent in the tropics. Alcohol very well integrated but still burns out the throat.Finishes with oak and herbs. Great monymusk and great Jamaican. Tasted together with the 1995. This is a lot more mature and barrel dominated, much less fruity.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
I just got this bottle today and I just had to have a go at it right away and wow, just wow, close to the perfect rum for me :-) The nose is wonderfully fruity from opening the bottle and while it was resting I had to sniff it several times. Besides fruits there is spices and barrel with a touch of esters and varnish. The palate is matching the nose and then some. Intense and warm as well as well balanced and complex. Fruits and spices from the start then chocolate, tea, coffee and ester. The finish is forever with oak, spices, coffee and some orange peel to top it off.
Review by Frank
Intensive, schöne und fruchtig-würzige Nase. Sehr voll und rund. Hier wieder die getrocknete, geschwefelte Aprikose im Vordergrund. Dahinter Sauerkirsche, Johannisbeere, Ananas und Rosine. Süße von herbem Waldhonig und Vanille. Am Gaumen hab ich als erstes einen herb-süßen Charakter und sogleich auch bitter-würzig-salzig. Dann schiebt sich etwas fruchtiges von Passionsfrucht und Papaya dazu. Muskat und Vanille unterstreichen den auch holzigen Ton. Hinten kommen noch etwas Tee und Minze. Im Abgang bleibt er holzig fruchtig und geht in Richtung Schwarztee mit Minze. Toller, alter Monymusk!
Review by Serge
Sensationally fruity nose that virtually explodes. So many individual aromas that are present at the same time, but still distinguishable. In addition to the spices, caramel, woody notes and leather, the fruit side in particular is extremely diverse. And behind the well-stocked fruit stand (tropical & continental) there is also a nebulous note of well-ripe jackfruit. Delicious. More menthol and wood on the palate - as you would expect. But still fruity. Nose is 9.4 for me, palate more like 9.0 ... I give it a 9.2.
Review by mick
Ce rhum est époustouflant, séduisant mais un peu timide au nez il cache pourtant sont jeu, l attaque est parfaite, moins sur l alcool que le 1995 ,à degrés quasi identiques, il explose lentement en bouche , une profondeur noble teinté de tanins magnifiques, son long vieillissement lui confère des saveurs trinidadienne, dans le combat des rois, je comprend que certain lui préfère le 95 paradisetto mais celui ci est tellement classe , un rhum feutré et royal, à l image du packaging
Review by Benoit Mahe
Un nez surprenant dans lequel on retrouve d'abord la marque d'un long vieillissement (bois, cuir, cacao, amande, noix) bien équilibré (tabac, piment, anis) avant de passer à un profil beaucoup plus jamaïcain (fruits tropicaux : papaye). La bouche est dans la même veine. La finale est longue et asséchante. Un très beau rhum. D'une certaine façon, ce rhum me fait penser à un Port Mourant.
Review by Maarten Leewis 🇳🇱
Good, not my type of rum
Review by zabo
Im Vergleich heute zwei EMBs von Velier. RX432 (Warren Khong 1995) und RX674 (Guiseppe Begoni 1997) beide sind sehr komplex und gut. Im Vergleich finde ich, dass der 1997er Jahrgang hier ein wenig die Nase vorne hat. Aber beide sind nach meiner Meinung nach ausgezeichnet, obwohl sie geschmacklich verschieden sind, was sehr faszinierend ist.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Very nice EMB, although long not as horny complex and fruity as the 95. In particular, the lychee, mint, sandalwood, chocolate note I find extremely exciting, but the needs quite a bit of time to open so completely! Finish is relatively short compared to other EMB's ... Otherwise, the rating would be higher.
Review by Mirco
One or the top shot of the EMB Vintages... (pre 2000) This rum is also at the top of a line-up of high-flyers. Insanely complex with typical mint, menthol, wood but also beautiful tropical fruit. Slightly less bitter than the competition.
Review by Giorgio Garotti
Dark, intense with a beautiful grilled pineapple part and hints of charred barrel! The anise is very present and the hints of coffee give it a nice hint of bitterness! For those who like things out of the 'ordinary must drink this monymusk!
Review by Buddudharma
Toller 97er EMB. Im Vergleich zum Rum Sponge und Fine Drams etwas fruchtiger, dafür weniger Holz und Ester/Klebstoff. Toller Stoff, für mich auf Augenhöhe mit dem Fine Drams, der Rum Sponge ist nochmal einen Tick komplexer und kompletter.
Review by Jakob
Again a tad rounder than Velier's Monymusk 1995. Great profile with a dose of extra power that doesn't come at the expense of overly strong alcohol. Aromatic with inspiring depth and balance. Extremely impressive.
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Expert reviews
6 critics scored it, averaging 9.2/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by The Secret Rum Bar
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Expert review by Rob Bauer
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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 447 € – 539 €
from 5 sales, latest 02/2025
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 421 €
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 Clarendon Exclusive for Guiseppe Begnoni EMB 1997
A Pot Still Rum from Jamaica, bottled by Velier, at 67,9%.
Community purchases
82 bottles logged by 61 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
14% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier Clarendon Exclusive for Guiseppe Begnoni EMB 1997?
Community paid 240–496 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
82 purchased · 85 tasted · 57 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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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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