Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier The Vieux Labbé (20th Anniversary) 1999
Most tasters land in strong-but-not-blown-away territory: a dark, spice-and-wood Haitian that surprises people who expect a clairin. Expect burnt cookie dough, mocha, oak and dark sour fruit — cherry, blackcurrant, dried apricot. A few find the 21 tropical years push it "staubtrocken" and wood-heavy; others call it the best Haiti they've had. Rests open beautifully.
The community says- Dark fruit depth
- Mocha and oak
- But: Very dry, wood-forward
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How does Velier The Vieux Labbé (20th Anniversary) 1999 taste?
Aggregated from 95 community reviews.
Deep, woody Haitian with dark fruit and mocha Widely loved as a deep, woody, coffee-and-dark-fruit Haitian that drinks nothing like a clairin. The catch: the tropical wood turns very dry, and a couple found the oak or bitterness too dominant.
Experienced drinkers who like dry, wood-and-coffee aged rum
Anyone wanting a sweet, easy sipper or expecting clairin funk
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
37 of 95 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
Rated better
Velier Royal Navy
8.9/10270 €
More intense
Velier Chelo Vieux Sajous (LMDW) 2018
8.4/1097 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Velier Chelo Clairin Vieux Sajous Lustau Oloroso Cask 2017
8.4/1079 €First choice: 48 of 63 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Velier The Vieux Labbé (20th Anniversary) 1999 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.6 sits in the “Very good” band. 100% 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?
95% rate it 8 or higher. 19 selected write-ups from 95 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Frank
Beautiful, intense and old rhum from Berling S.A., the other part of the Barbancourt family. Made from sugar cane juice/syrup but not actually a clairin, but a rhum. Nose: intense, concentrated, aromatic. Spicy, woody and fruity. Fine spicy wood aromas of sandalwood and cherry dominate. Dark, tart fruits such as blackcurrant and sour cherry come together with passion fruit, dried apricot and some blood orange. It is also creamy with vanilla, toffee and brioche as well as chocolate. It also has a light, malty smoky note. Very round and delicious. 9.1 Palate: clearly on the spicy and woody side here. Salty-bitter-peppery at the beginning, but immediately with a twist towards passion fruit and blackcurrant. Nutmeg and some caraway together with roasted aromas. Pecan and mocha. All very powerful without being unpleasant. The more than 20 years of tropical maturation are very noticeable in the woody aromas. I still like it very much. 8.7
Review by Matej
This is something else. It has almost redish color (love it). In aroma I found some sweet scents (vanilla, cookie dough), cherry and I think butter (or heavy cream). The whole thing is complemented by wood and a very nicely integrated alcohol scent. Taste is again sweet (vanilla), but more dominated is spice, wood and some heavier flavor, almost dusty. I let the rum sit and after a while I also noticed nut flavor. Finish is long, woody and warmy with combination of vanilla. Never heard of this brand/rum until today. It is one of those rums, that is really a pleasure to drink. I recomended it, even for a rum begginers.
Review by Joachim Guger
Very nice, deep color.In the nose viiieeel oak, licorice, cookie dough and earthy. Polish and solvent. Out the back a touch of dried fruit and cherry. Very powerful, bulky and dusty dry. Very good.In the mouth then just wood and spice.Nice finish, cookie dough, licorice and dried fruit.A few drops of water make it a bit creamier.Certainly not a lovely palate pleaser. 20 years of tropical aging make their presence felt.The woodiness is on the edge, especially in the mouth. I like it very much though.
Review by Dr.Django
I was very curious when it was released. It was impossible for me to get hold of a bottle without paying a ridiculous price. In time, the Hypetrain arrived at the station and I was able to get my hands on a sample. Very intense, on the dark side of fruity. A deep fruity woodiness With strong coffee notes. It becomes drier and tastier with every sip.
Review by mto75
On the nose initially quite restrained. After some standing time then come old barrel and earthy notes, plus mace, mocha, fig, caramel and plum. On the palate, on the other hand, immediately present and intense with spices, barrel and an interesting interplay between some direction ginger spiciness and date, plus a very long, toasty finish. A class rum whose charm does not reveal itself immediately!
Review by Thunderbird
An exceptional rum... burnt cookie dough on the nose, heavy sweet/sour fruits, wood, vanilla and licorice. On the palate, almost identical aromas plus licorice and roasted nuts. The alcohol is very well integrated. Something slightly dirty also appears on the finish This is a challenging rum and not necessarily suitable for beginners. I like it
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
This is a nicely balanced Labbé and I think the price is pretty good. Well balanced on the nose and intense and complex on the palate. It did need to rest for a good while before all flavours were released. Lightly fruity and I like the nutty touch and the licorice on the finish. The empty glass was really nice after a few hours 😊
Review by Giorgio Garotti
Very disappointed!The wood overpowers everything!A pronounced bitterness throughout the tasting!I will give it a second chance to see if the first impression was wrong!
Review by DosenZorn
Die Nase gibt hier eine klare Richtung vor, die am Gaumen fortgesetzt wird. Deutliches Alter ohne Bitter zu sein. Viel Vanille, Nüsse, Holz und Kaffee. Alkohol könnte besser eingebunden sein. trotzdem Toller Rum, wer davon ne Flasche zum Release Preis ergattern konnte kann sich glücklich schätzen.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Really nice, complex and full-bodied Haiti single cask. Impressive how little the wood comes through despite 21 years. Nice combination of blackberry, Medjoul dates, vanilla, tobacco, roasted nuts and dried apricot. Very harmonious and does not touch at any point.
Review by Andi
Wow, very beeeeeery. Currants. After tasting it again, I stick to my first impression, very great fruity aromas reminiscent of a compote of berries. It is also very complex with wood and a cookie sweetness. A great bottling,
Review by Gil Firth
בקבוק איזה בקבוק מרגש. זה רום, כמו שרום צריך להיות. רציתי שיהיה טוב אבל זה פשוט מצויין. ככה, שוקולדי, מלא, יש פירות וחמיצות מכל מני סוגים. כל זה משתלב מושלם עם המתיקות הכהה ורשמי הקפה והעץ. שיחוק אמיתי! מציג בצורה מעולה פרופיל מעניין ועשיר מהאיטי.
Review by zabo
Hatte nicht viel erwartet von dieser Abfüllung, weil es nicht unbedingt meine Lieblingsrichtung ist. Aber die Reife im Fass hat dieser Abfüllung ganz gut getan. Vielleicht sollte ich in Zukunft diesem Stil ein wenig mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenken
Review by Michal S
Bohatý, vrstevnatý rum, u kterého bych vůbec netipnul Haiti. Ve vůni kromě spáleného dřeva a kávy i třešně a lékořice, v chuti se přidává tabák. Celkově velmi povedený rum, asi nic pro začátečníky, ale propitější rumař si přijde na své.
Review by Jakob
Intensely tart fruit, wood, spices. I like it, independent profile. Still somewhat incisive on the finish. Beautiful structure. Aromatic-intense to demanding, but quite appealing - has rightly found its fans.
Review by Alessandro
Colore scuro e intenso, nel bicchiere è prima molto chiuso poi profumi di legno e frutta. Al gusto inizia pungente poi frutta e legno, anche liquirizia. Gusto intenso che si apre non subito alcool ben integrato, un buon rum.
Review by Tomas Hajlich
Mnam! Ve vuni velmi minimalne citit alkohol a v chuti je to potvrzeno. Vubec neni poznat jake to ma ABV, tipoval bych pod 50%. Chut krasne uhlazena, jsou tam citit tresne a prijemna sladkost se stredne dlouhym dojezdem
Review by Mentalo
Der Abfüllung merkt man sein Alter und die tropische Reifung an. Ordentlich Holz, aber ohne zu bitter zu sein. Fruchtnoten, Gewürze, nussig und etwas Süßholzwurzel. Der Alkohol könnte besser integriert sein.
Review by Leo Krüper
Heavy caliber. Too intense for me today. Camomile tea notes and old wood.
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Expert reviews
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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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 158 € – 184 €
from 8 sales, latest 06/2025
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 142 €
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 The Vieux Labbé (20th Anniversary) 1999
A Clairin from Haiti, bottled by Velier, at 58,9%.
Community purchases
73 bottles logged by 57 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
15% opened, 7 emptied and repurchased.
What does Velier The Vieux Labbé (20th Anniversary) 1999 cost?
Community paid 80–212 €.
Current best price: 369.64 € – above the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
73 purchased · 98 tasted · 30 wishlist · as of
About the Distillerie de Port au Prince distillery
The Distillerie de Port au Prince distillery is located in Haiti. Rums from Distillerie de Port au Prince have been reviewed 677 times with an average of 8.1/10.
To Distillerie de Port au Prince →Read on in the RumX Guide
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