Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Nine Leaves Japoniani Pure Sugar Cane Juice Rum 2016
People who chase the strange and complex will want to sit with this one. Distilled from cane juice at Nine Leaves and bottled at a full 66.6%, it drinks like agricole gone through a Japanese filter — sesame, umami, walnut and dried plum over grassy sugarcane, with an odd sulphur-and-metal streak more than one taster mentions. Powerful, oily, not always balanced. It needs a second sitting to click.
The community says- Wildly original
- Herbal-nutty depth
- Keep in mind: Sulphur & metal
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Offers & prices
No shop currently delivers to Germany.
Auction results: 158–282 € (5 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 04/2026). How the range is built ›
The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Nine Leaves Japoniani Pure Sugar Cane Juice Rum 2016 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Strange, powerful Japanese cane-juice rum Most tasters call it fascinating and worth the effort — earthy, nutty, deeply original. Even the fans admit the sulphur and heat take some getting used to, and a few never warm to it.
experienced drinkers who chase unusual, atypical profiles
anyone wanting balance or an easy pour
Style & occasion: Fresh & grassyMature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
15 of 42 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
Buying advice
Is it right for you?
Yes, if you're after bold, fresh, grassy rums for sipping neat.
Similar in style and available now.
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What does the community say?
42 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
15 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 42 ratings, including those without text.
Review by TheRhumhoe
Most helpful positive review
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.
Review by Joachim Guger
Most helpful mixed review
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!
Review by Leo Krüper
Crazy rum. Hard for me to rate. Extremely many aromas. Needs a second tasting.
Review by mto75
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...
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#6204 09.01.2026 Relaxing after a full week at my new job and I really like it though a lot of new things have to be learned. Nose Fresh, sugarcane, faint wood, light floral, faint tannins, anise, light caramel, citrus. Palate Oily, warm, medium spicy, light wood, sugarcane, light tannins, citrus, light olive, light salt, anise, faint herbal, faint smoke. Finish Long, warm, medium spicy, light wood, faint smoke, light coffee, light olive, dried fruit. Empty glass Banana, light floral, light herbs, light mint, dried fruits.
Review by Jarek
small Nine Leaves cross tasting - 2025-03-11: I've had the sample for a while and waited for a good chance to taste it. Fits perfectly now into the Cards series tasting. On the nose, I find the Nine Leaves profile again, but with less fruit. On the palate then lots of herbs, spices, walnut and also hardly any fruit. Very interesting, but overall I find the RX21777 (2014) better, rounder, more pleasant. Addendum: I have to correct myself today after a second tasting of the remaining sample. I find the dark, malty notes more interesting than the roundness of the RX21777.
Review by Buddudharma
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.
Review by Mentalo
I already found the Encrypted series interesting. This one is even more complex and intense. Red wine, plum, agricole notes, grain and a nice nutty note in the finish. I don't need a whole bottle but remains an exciting distillery.
Review by Frank
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.
Review by Chateau Caroni
Waw, didn’t expect that, can’t say I loved it but really worth trying
Review by zabo
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.
Review by Guji Guji
Just the best Nine Leaves I've tried so far!
Review by Michal Jurka
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.
Review by Olimpia1936
A very good Nine Leaves, in my opinion the alcohol pushes a bit
Review by Thunderbird
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.
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Tasting Bro's
Read full review ›Velier Nine Leaves Japoniani Pure Sugar Cane Juice Rum 2016 at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
31 bottles logged by 25 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
3% opened, 0 emptied.
What does Velier Nine Leaves Japoniani Pure Sugar Cane Juice Rum 2016 cost?
Community paid 116–281 €.
Current best price: 298.90 € – above the typical community range.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 173 €. Price history with 5 auction results in RX+ ›
31 purchased · 43 tasted · 25 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Nine Leaves Japoniani Pure Sugar Cane Juice Rum 2016
A Pot Still Rum from Japan, bottled by Velier, at 66,6%.
About the Nine Leaves distillery
The Nine Leaves distillery is located in Japan. Rums from Nine Leaves have been reviewed 882 times with an average of 8.0/10.
To Nine Leaves ›Read on in the RumX Guide
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