Velier Nine Leaves Japoniani Pure Sugar Cane Juice Rum 2016

A Japanese rum as strange as it is singular. At first, the nose is quite pleasant and varied, drawing on the Asian roots of sake and whisky, with rather original spicy notes of sesame and umami, before the roundness of the rum infuses a little roundness into a roasted, woody, dried and nutty profile. Then an odor that's hard to describe (akin to the musk or sulfur some might describe) assails the nostrils with a certain power. An atypical profile, to be sure, and a little unsettling. On the palate, the profile retains much of its eccentricity, with typical Asian alcohol and spiciness (umami, salty, ricey, earthy, spicy), roasted notes of nuts, prominent oak and fairly heavy dried fruits (prunes, dates). The alcohol is a little lively but well integrated overall. The finish is long, still very much imbued with this hybrid style of spices, herbs, nuts and Asian influence. A profile that's out of the ordinary, very special, even a little zany, and clearly not for everyone.

First smell of fruit brandy and alcohol. Let it breathe a little... More balanced after a while. Definitely Agricole. Intense herbal notes, I've never had this intensity before. Spicy. In the mouth again fruit brandy and now nutty. Strong, not particularly balanced. Spicy finish, again fruit brandy, long lasting. Interesting rum, unfortunately somewhat unbalanced. Gargano has once again broken new ground. 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵 Thanks to Bonn for this triple!

Unfortunately, this rum doesn't suit my taste at all. You can drink it and it's round, but I can't do anything with it. As a mixer it would be good in a TiPunch or similar, but not for this price. Thanks to SaibotZtar for the split.

I'm somewhat ambivalent about this Nine Leaves. It certainly has an interesting profile, especially on the nose (earthy, acidic, herbal and sweet). It then loses something on the palate. I miss this variety of aromas. The finish is somewhat more multi-faceted again. Conclusion for me: a bottling with a new profile, but not quite my cup of tea.

Great rum. Difficult for me to rate. Extremely many aromas. Needs a second tasting.

Today the last of the Japoniani series. Root vegetables, earthy notes and nut nougat on the nose. Spicy and nutty on the palate, the high ABV burns a little on the finish. Certainly an interesting rum, but the Encrypted series (especially the IV) appealed to me more...

kleines Nine Leaves Cross Tasting - 2025-03-11: Das Sample habe ich schon länger und habe auf eine gute Gelegenheit für eine Verkostung gewartet. Passt jetzt wunderbar in die Verkostung der Cards-Reihe. In der Nase finde ich wieder das Nine Leaves Profil, aber mit weniger Frucht. Am Gaumen dann ganz viel Kräuter, Gewürze, Walnuss und ebenfalls kaum Frucht. Sehr interessant, aber insgesamt finde ich den RX21777 (2014) besser, runder, angenehmer. Nachtrag: ich muss mich heute nach einer zweiten Verkostung des Rest-Samples korrigieren. Das Dunkle, Malzige finde ich doch interessanter als das Runde des RX21777.

Tasted in the Rum & Whisky bar in Kyoto: Intense rum with a long finish, of high quality. But too "grainy" and whisky-like for my taste, so not a top rating.

Ich fand die Encrypted Reihe schon interessant. Der hier ist nochmal komplexer und intensiver. Rotwein, Pflaume, Agricolenoten, Getreide und im Abgang eine schöne Nussnote. Muss ich zwar keine ganze Flasche von haben, aber bleibt eine spannende Destille.

Somewhat muted on the nose. Dried and sulfured apricots and plums in the foreground. Behind it something musty, like plant remains pulled out of the water. But also something sweetly nutty from chestnuts and a slight caramel note, like cola.Oh, sweet, spicy and fruity on the palate. Cherry, plum and date. And then there's some tart nuttiness from hazelnut and pecan. But also caramel and sugar cane.On the finish, this own flavor remains fruity, nutty, grassy, slightly sugar cane.I like it.

Just the best Nine Leaves I've tried so far!

Waw, didn’t expect that, can’t say I loved it but really worth trying

Despite the general opinion that this is the weak link of the series, I like this one very much. It is quite unique and specific and takes time to understand, I guess. Quite a scoop of sulphur and metal that overshadow anything else but when you manage, you get pleasant notes of honey coated nuts, spices, herbals, sugarcane, wood. Overall it is somewhat earthy, sour and oily at the same time. The more time I spend with this the more I like it.

A very good Nine Leaves, in my opinion the alcohol pushes a bit