Velier my love

No, it is not a UFO name or a new trendy food coloring, but a rum from Guyana, a Demerara rum that will bewitch anyone who tastes it...

This curious name actually refers to the origin of the rum: the U for the name of the still and former Uitvlught distillery and F30E for the location of the sugar cane field that was used to make this rum: Field #30 East. This is yet another masterpiece from the Italian bottler Velier, whose quality rums are no longer in doubt. Velier has the particularity of offering rums that have been aged entirely on site, unlike most independent bottlers whose stock is often based in Europe. But we will come back to this later in an article.

Price : let's talk about things that annoy! €145 for this 70cl bottle. This may seem like a lot (and it is) but for a rum this old and of such richness, which will be sold out in the near future, it's already not much.

Age : 27 years old…distilled in 1985 and bottled in 2012, identically, without transformation or filtration, hence the 60.7° of the precious nectar. More than 90% evaporation rate left 3 barrels, which were then assembled to give a few hundred bottles (814).

I must admit that Velier was right about the design of the bottles: it is simplistic but very effective, with labels of different colors according to the stills used to make the rum, and therefore the different distilleries that once worked individually on the banks of the Demerara River. And for those who would like to delve deeper and discover other little wonders of this bottler, rest assured you will have something to do, and especially something to please yourself, no matter what your wallet says. But enough blah blah, let's move on to the tasting.

This 27-year-old girl is wearing a beautiful dark mahogany dress with a hint of red, and her long, thick legs seem to hang there for an eternity and freeze before slowly, sensually, descending to the bottom . On the surface, you can make out the characteristic green disc of -very- old rums, floating like lace in the wind.

The magic works and the fragrance that emerges is to die for, not because of the high alcohol content that could suggest a powerful and spicy nose (still over 60°), no, not even that, the nose is not that loaded with alcohol. Of course you have to take a certain distance, not rush things and give the beauty time to reveal herself. And it is this distance that literally lets a remarkable aromatic force burst forth. A sweet woody and spicy scent, slightly smoky, loaded and thick, without cheating: from the smell you cannot deny the 27 years of aging and maturity . The woodiness is concentrated and mixes spices and dried fruits in an exquisite whole: grapes, plum, red fruit too, warmed by notes of liquorice, cloves, chocolate. The longer you wait, the more you discover new aromas, as if the discussion started by this beautiful young girl was endless. Tiring? not even, just filling.

In the mouth it is a heavy and syrupy liquid that literally hits the senses and envelops the tongue, the palate, and lines the inside in a few seconds; here again the 27 years do their work. We expect something rough and powerful but the attack is incredibly supple and smooth, even if the note of alcohol is very present (much more than on the nose). Licorice and spices (cinnamon, ginger) burst in the mouth, dried fruits dance on the tongue, the grape is still there and the woodiness becomes rougher and reminds us once again of the weight of its years, but without spoiling the mouth . More exotic notes (citrus fruits) appear here and there.

The finish is infinitely long and aromatic, giving the impression that the rum warms our throats for several minutes . And the worst thing is that there is nothing surprising given the beginning of the tasting, everything is just a logical and perfect sequence, no flaws or mistakes along the way. The finish cannot and must not be different.

It's a slow and delicious death, and the 60° after that ends up fooling you.

As you will have understood, this rum is of astonishing richness and one can only be amazed by the sum of aromas that emerges in such a short time, and in such mastery that only time can orchestrate. It is a nectar, a concentrated juice, but which remains at the same time very much alive and which even turns out to be of a beautiful freshness. The tannins are present of course, but never in excess. Once again Velier offers an extraordinary product, and despite a fairly substantial price it would be a shame to miss out. There is no equivalent to this rum, which let us recall once again has aged entirely in the tropics, in the warehouses of the Diamond distillery where Luca Gargano has his entries; generally the other independent bottlers (Bristol, Silver Seal, Cadenhead, Rum Nation, ..) first buy their rums on site before bringing them back to Europe for additional aging.

So if one day you have the chance to cross paths with this UF30E, don't hesitate for a second and accept its appointment, but above all take your time, resist its temptation and you will only be rewarded. Rating: 93

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

From the folks behind DuRhum, Velier, and more, comes a premium online marketplace for rum enthusiasts by rum enthusiasts! Do check out www.rowspirits.fr for more great content and iconic rums!