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Velier Skeldon SWR 1978
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Strictly a neat, slow-sipping pour — this is a legendary 27-year tropically-aged Skeldon Demerara from Velier, and nobody's putting it near ice. Expect dark, near-black liquid: burnt molasses, dried plums, tobacco, leather and glue, wrapped in heavy tropical oak. The wood sits right at the edge of bitter. One taster called it "as close as perfection could get" for a Demerara; a few felt the cask tipped too far.
The community says- Deep complexity
- Endless finish
- Rich glue and plum
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How does Velier Skeldon SWR 1978 taste?
Summarized by AI from community reviews.
Dark, intense old Demerara with big oak A revered old Demerara most tasters call unforgettable — dense, complex, endlessly long. The recurring catch: heavy tropical oak that flirts with bitterness, keeping a handful just shy of a perfect score.
Aroma profileSerious Demerara collectors chasing a legendary bottle
Anyone put off by dry, woody bitterness
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
20 of 51 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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Recommendation
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Rated better
Cadenhead's Uitvlugt PM 1964
9.8/1011,500.00 €
Milder
Velier Uitvlugt SP - ICBU SP - ICBU 1988
9.6/109,500.00 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Velier Albion AW 1986
9.5/1011,101.90 €
Nothing for you?
3 more similar rums ›
First choice: 11 of 20 tasters who tried both prefer it.
What does the community say?
51 community reviews
19 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
Top 2% of Guyana rumsTop 3% at Skeldon
Rate it in the app
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by DomM
The nose is just beautiful. Intense and very complex delivering dark and woody notes alongside dried and fresh fruits as well as a hint of floral notes and a herbal bouquet of herbs in the background. You can spend a lot of time just enjoying this. On the palate the Sekeldon again very thick and intense. The long tropical maturation clearly shows with wood dominating the profile. While it is very wood forward it is far from one dimensional. Herbs, dried fruits and some cardboard create a deep tasting experience. Exceptional dram. Cheers to Jakob for the sample.
Review by Jakob
Very complex without becoming unbalanced at any point. The wood note is particularly impressive, giving the rum a noble depth that borders on the bitter without overpowering the other notes. Heavy, dense consistency. Very nicely integrated alcohol. The only "fly in the ointment": Tasted blind, it doesn't stand out enough in comparison with other Skeldons for me to agree with the perfect score. However, this does not detract from its outstanding quality.
Review by Giorgio Garotti
Over the years that I have been passionate about this distillate, I have always dreamed of tasting this legendary rum! I don't know if perfection exists but this rum definitely is! Really intense in flavors and smells! You can perceive everything sharply! The finish is endless! Chapeu! I was also able to taste the original 1978 straight from the tasting sent to Velier before being cut with part of the 1973 and I must say it was even more intense and incredible than the bottled one!
Review by Oliver
An experience to have this drop in the glass. Dark, burnt, intense - a very own profile! For me, however, far from the perfect 100 points.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
14.07.2025 Retasting this wonderful release and I still love it. ---------------- 15.06.2012 Lanternen, Kolding Celebrating a friend's birthday in this bygone bar. Notes Very dark in colour. Nose Balanced, fruity, licorice, herbs, wood, roasted, earthy, light olive, plum. Palate Balanced, complex, oily, wood, roasted, fruity, berries, licorice, light grass, faint nutts, herbs, light plum. Finish Very long, wood, roasted, complex, dried fruits, coffee, medicinal, light mint.
Review by zabo
Edit: just added a nicer picture and corrected the rating after thinking about it again. First: Thank you Jakob for sharing. I take my deepest bow. The timing for a tasting was no longer the most opportune admittedly. We smelled and discussed it for a long time yesterday. I went back to myself and recalled everything. Yes, it's really not bad, admittedly, although my criticism is the woody, bitter coffee note. I find this very borderline. I think if this had come out of the barrel a little earlier, it could definitely break the sound barrier. To be fair, we had quite a few things in the glass that evening that tasted better to me. That's why I can't rate this one too highly for me. Nevertheless, an excellent rum.
Review by Galli33
WoW WoW!!! What a lovely present from my girlfriend❤️ One of the best birthdaypresent ever! Finally i could have a really really small taste of this legendary rum! All in all I would say a remarkable skeldon with all the classic facets (spiciness, dark chocolate, dried fruits, nuts, oak and a bit of licorice), a good complexity and a long last finish. Cheers to Mr. Gargano🥃
Review by Johannes
Compared to the Skeldon73 less bitterness, but more fruity glue note. It doesn't get any better than this! Incredibly round, complex, incredibly long finish...
Review by Mike H.
94 points. I’m extremely happy to cross this one of my bucket list.
Review by Pavel Spacek
This is the rum I would like to drink every day. Nuts, wood, round ... ... Old Velier Demerara rums are the best you can taste in the rum world. Rums that aged rather by accident for several years in the tropics and no one topped up the cask content. The angel's share was 90% and more, that's why the taste is especially full and intense. Although it's an extra expensive affair, I recommend tasting rum from this series at least once in your life.
Review by Christoph H.
With much awe and respect one approaches this bottling, given price and reputation.Unfortunately, I did not write a commentary at the time of tasting and must report something from memory. The nose was brute and takes one to Olympus in terms of tropical aged Demerara Rum. Incredibly intense, complex and deep. Lots of stickiness, dried fruit, strong molasses, spice, tobacco...... Almost slays you, as there's hardly any alcohol perceptible either. In the mouth the whole thing repeats itself, however, it is already noticeably overlaid there for me.As impressed as I was, it is not a 100 point rum for me despite everything. Too crass and special is for me, so I would need something like that maybe only 2-3 times a year.Impressive experience!
Review by CHM
In my personal opinion, this rum is very good, also has its own undisputed profile, but I would have expected something more based on the ratings. I was allowed to double blind taste it twice now, without knowing which spirit is in the glass at all. There are better rums for my taste. Nevertheless, a very good bottling.
Review by TheRhumhoe
More than just a rum, the Skeldon 1978 from Velier is an icon that fascinates and stirs passions, as this nectar has become as essential as it is unattainable. The nose is incredibly rich, plunging into that dark Guyana atmosphere: you can smell very old wood, leather, tobacco, then the roasting on dark chocolate and espresso coffee, followed by burnt notes of sugar, caramel, and molasses. You can detect glue, warm spices (licorice, vanilla, nutmeg, chili) but also dried and shelled fruits (walnut, date and dried grape, prune) that enhance the profile and add indulgence. A powerful, vibrant nose but with perfect elegance and balance, it’s breathtaking. The palate comes from another time, supported by a dark and empyreumatic aromatic spectrum rarely seen: you find noble old wood, leather, tobacco, smoky notes, then roasted (dark chocolate, espresso coffee) as well as the sweet and burnt aromas from the nose. This structure, hyper concentrated but balanced, couples with the dried fruits and spices from the nose (cinnamon instead of nutmeg) to form a unique symphony, both explosive, very dense but hyper harmonious. The profile is ultra deep and complex, coating the palate and marking it with its full-bodied and refined aromas. The integration of the alcohol is perfect, highlighted by an absolutely exquisite roundness. A true UFO unlike any other in the rum world. The finish seems never to end, it lingers long in the mouth with its aromas. You find the bitterness of Demerara rums, notably on the wood, espresso coffee, dark chocolate, licorice, leather, tobacco, and burnt and caramelized notes. This bitterness faces the dried fruits (prune, grape), heavier and more opulent, but also an unexpected menthol freshness that catches you off guard and restores a harmonious balance in the mouth. Simply fabulous. A legendary, mythical rum living up to its reputation, omnipotent and reigning undisputed on the Olympus of rums. It is unquestionably on my list of GROAT (Greatest Rums Of All Time).
Review by Maxence
As we could expect after 27 years of aging, this Skeldon is very dark. The nose is super complex and extremely well-balanced. The palate appears to be less balanced because of additional woody notes which are slightly too much bitter for my liking. Still a really good palate though. This rum is definitely worth its legend !
Review by Émile Shevek
On the nose it is full-bodied, pungent and enveloping, with notes of roasted, wood, tobacco, leather, vanilla, coffee, burnt sugar, a bit of glue and ripe plums. On the palate it is explosive and intense with dirty notes of rubber*, leather, then roasted, tobacco, toasted barrel, intense cloves (unfortunately), cumin, bitter cocoa and unripe plums. Infinite and rich finish, it has a dense and highly structured body, leaves the mouth coated. A unique and special taste, perfect ABV, shows 10 degrees less, but with a slightly edgy roundness, I expected more sweetness. Letting it rest for a long time the clove/cumin tends to cover the rest a bit and becomes dominant. In the empty glass cloves, leather, roasted. Unfortunately, being sensitive to cloves, which I generally don't like, my rating suffers *Since I didn't find the rubber scent in other reviews, which reminded me in some ways of a Caroni profile, I suspect the bottle previously contained one and was not cleaned well. (I doubt it was the burnt scent that misled me)
Review by Mopar Rules
The epic Skeldon 78! Well, don’t know what Flo of Barrel Aged Thoughts has smoked that day (he seems to be more into Jamaica rum anyway) but this is not the 10.0 points rum. The nose is amazing and high into the 9th, very classic rum flavor with raisins, a touch of polish, intense, burnt caramel and well balanced. After a while resting in the glas, the wooden flavors push the polish back, the cask and the roasted flavors take over. First sip and the legend implodes on the palate. Slightly bitter, the raisins and dried plums have a heavy stand against the by far too dominant influence of the cask. It’s not too much cask but it gets out of balance. It’s intense, strong, heavy but overall the palate is rather a 8.7. The finish is endless with some orange notes but who wants to wake up with a piece of wet wood in the mouth? The old silver seal and Cadenheads bottlings are definitely outscoring this one, so do other Velier bottlings.
Review by Filip Šikula
Velier old Demerara evening 17.9.2025 I would say today we are expecting the pinnacle of what the rum world can offer. 1. RX5347 Albion 1989 2. RX3502 Uitvlugt SP-ICBU 1988 3. RX515 Uitvlugt ULR 1997 4. RX753 Enmore ELCR 1995 5. RX867 Skeldon SWR 1978 6. RX3001 Skeldon SWR 1973 7. RX915 Blairmont 1991 8. RX368 Diamond SVW 1999 9. RX2729 Port Mourant PM 1993
Review by ArminK
Wieder eine Ehre einen solchen Tropfen zu verkosten. Für mich ist zwischen dem 1973er und dem 1978er nur wenig unterschied. Beide sehr ausgewogen und extrem angenehm zu trinken. Ist mir aber bei dem derzeitigen Preis keine Flasche Wert.
Review by Rum_Freund
Einfach nur legendärer Stoff!
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Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 9.5/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Review #1000 on RumX. What a Dram. This is a very complex rum that changed its nose several times. This really has the whiff of Cognacs around 1900. Very woody without being unnecessarily bitter. Floral and slightly spicy notes. Some herbs that have been cooked together with stuff (Nutmeg), burnt molasses, and baked sour plums. After a while, it gets a really careful fruitiness with a hint of cotton candy or old Ice-Wine. Also this chalky dusty dryness. Always in a complex melange of things. Truly great. The palate hits you initially with the sour plums and taste of jammy fruits, peach, and grape. There is old wood and a bitterness like Brazil nuts. All in a bundle with burnt molasses. The alcohol is integrated to perfection and just slightly warm when needed. It is astringent, but without being wood-soupy. In the back of the throat is the slight sweet floral hint of old cognac/armagnac of centuries past. It finishes extremely long and warm with a complex spiciness and really dry wood notes. Eternally dry bitterness that really never overpowers. At the very end that Brazil nut bitterness gets a hint of artichoke bitterness and a little sensation of eucalyptus, unsweet dried plums, and a savory coating around your mouth. Let's not talk about the question of price, since this is a dimension which in 2024 has only to some degree to do with the content. This 98 is the best scoring I have given a rum to date. I feel like this is as close as perfection could get to a Demerara rum that actually exists. It bears no flaws and an overall superb, complex, and pleasant tasting experience. I am glad I shared this sample with a dear friend, because that is what made the experience a 100/100.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
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Expert review by Who Rhum The World
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Expert review by Rum Diaries Blog
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Community shelf
22 bottles logged by 18 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
9% opened, 1 emptied.
What does Velier Skeldon SWR 1978 cost?
Community paid 180–11,950 €.
Current best price: 14,500.00 € – above the typical community range.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 6,778 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ ›
22 purchased · 56 tasted · 117 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Skeldon SWR 1978
A Column Still Rum from Guyana, bottled by Velier, at 60,4%.
What do the letters on a Demerara label mean? The RumX guide ›
About the Skeldon distillery
The Skeldon distillery is located in Guyana. Rums from Skeldon have been reviewed 876 times with an average of 8.9/10.
To Skeldon ›Read on in the RumX Guide
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Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Velier Uitvlugt UF30E UF30E 1985
Velier Port Mourant PM 1974
Cadenhead's Uitvlugt PM 1964
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