Rum Nation

 4 Responses »
Nov 122014
 

ima_rum nation logo

Anybody who has read my work will know something of my admiration for Rum Nation, a company that came to my attention back in 2011 and which I’ve followed ever since. As Yesu Persaud springs to mind when thinking of DDL, or Luca Gargano is indelibly associated with Velier, Fabio Rossi, the CEO of Rossi & Rossi, is the man whose name is synonymous with Rum Nation.

The Venetian family of Rossi has been in the business of spirits and general trading for a long time, even though Rum Nation has only been in existence since 1999. Its sister company Wilson & Morgan predated RN’s formation by nine years (it’s into whisky — I like to joke that Fabio only realized his mistake after many years and formed Rum Nation to apologize) and the family involvement in spirits dates back to the pre-war years, when the Rossis dealt in wine. The original patriarch of the family, Guiseppe Rossi, was a wine and oil merchant with a small and thriving business, and after the turmoil of the second world war, his son Mario took over the company and expanded it. Rising success and profits in the 1960s persuaded Mario Rossi to begin importing whisky from Scotland, mostly blends – at the time whisky didn’t have quite the same exclusive cachet it later acquired; as time passed and craft and premium blends took center stage, such higher quality spirits were imported directly from the source distilleries in Scotland.

Fabio Rossi, 2014 German Rum Fest

In the 1980s this portion of the business became so successful that the Rossis – both of Mario’s sons, Walter and Fabio, had by then joined the company – introduced craft spirits to their portfolio. These were single malt whiskies, independently bottled by the company, and, as time went on, stocks that made up these bottling were selected by Fabio Rossi. Fabio had trained as an oenologist in Conegliano, and, like many successful independents, married both education and experience into a personal philosophy summarized by the statement: “Trust your palate and your instinct.” The creation of the “King of Whiskies” brand encapsulated that idea – Fabio went personally to Scotland in 1990 to source his selections, went into partnership with W. M. Cadenhead and created the line of “Barrel Selection” whiskies with a new company, which he called Wilson & Morgan.

Wilson & Morgan exists to this day, and rode the wave of independent craft bottling of aged single malts. But as it happened, in his search for whiskies, Fabio often noticed that next to ageing barrels of such single malts, were other barrels: rums, old ones, brought over from the Caribbean to mature more gradually. Often they were blended into the more popular navy rums of the day, rather than being issued in their own right. He conceded that at the time he had no clue about rums, really…he tasted them and moved on. Yet he never forgot; and after the explosion of El Dorado on the scene in 1992, he saw the opportunities. After all, if the expertise garnered in the whisky business should be readily transferrable, then distilleries previously making average grog could produce aged and off-the-scale quality rums with some judicious ageing and blending. Too, the world in the 1990s was already moving towards exclusivity in spirits like vodkas, tequilas, whiskies…why not rum?

He discussed the idea with another Italian, a business colleague of the family, Silvano Samaroli (a whisky broker and bottler since 1968, and who also made and makes craft rums), and that gentleman gave him the necessary background education in the various rum styles, as well as pointers regarding marketing and business strategy. (As an aside, Mr. Samaroli may be one of the first to take craft bottling of rum seriously, but that’s another essay entirely.)

Armed with this information, and being unwilling to blend the recognized W&M brand with an upstart drink which could crash and burn (okay, that’s the storyteller in me reaching a bit), Fabio formed Rum Nation in 1999; many of the characteristics of W&M were copied wholesale for this new company – the rigourous sourcing of stock from obscure and not-so-obscure distilleries, partial maturation in Europe, the finishing in other casks (port, rum or marsala casks, for example). As before in his Scottish adventure, Fabio Rossi went island hopping around the Caribbean, sourcing what he could, buying what he liked, sometimes leaving the barrels in situ, sometimes shipping them to Europe. The ethos of both companies, unsurprisingly, remains very much the same: source barrels from favoured distilleries based on personal investigation, age and blend further as appropriate, and issue. Expand the line into other niche markets and other distilleries and countries and styles, as the business grows.D7K_9376

Unlike the recognized and recognizable distillery-profiles of Scotland – after all, which dedicated Maltster can possibly confuse an Ardbeg with a Glenfarclas? – rum profiles are more generally associated with islands, or even whole regions, not often specific distilleries (though this does, of course, occur). This led to the decision to produce and market rums by such regions – Demerara (for Guyana), Jamaica, Barbados, and so on – though many really rarefied snooters can tell, or at least hazard a guess, whether the Enmore, Longpond or Rockley still produced a given rum for these.

The first rums RN issued were Demeraras and Jamaicans, in 1999 and 2000. I’d dearly like to know what kind of impact they had on the marketplace, but one thing is certain – in 2014 they can only be classed as collector’s items, and are as rare as hen’s teeth. I imagine that the reception of these rums was extremely positive, because Rum Nation expanded the line to include rums from several other parts of the Caribbean and Latin America, in the subsequent years: expressions hailing from Martinique, Trinidad, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala were added in short order. Fabio may have eschewed distillery-specific marketing, but he certainly did his best to raise the rum-profile of whole countries, over and beyond national brands previously and solely identified with them (and which were distillery- or estate-specific), like DDL, Mount Gay, Flor de Cana, or Longpond, to name a few. I don’t doubt that he used stock from those places, he just refused to identify them as such, and made his own specific blend from what he found there.

Two rum marques that deserve mention are the Millonario and the Reimonenq line, because both resulted in rums (and in the former case, a company) that were ostensibly apart from Rum Nation, yet beefed up its profile.

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The success of Zacapa in Italy in 2001 made Fabio resolve to find something that could take it on, if not actually exceed it: in Peru in 2004, he discovered a small distillery (he never named it, and while I think I know which one it is, I’m still not 100% certain) that made a delicate and sweet rum in the solera style. With skills garnered from Lorena Vasquez of Zacapa – she, like Mr. Samaroli years before, provided Fabio with the core information on setting up a solera system, how to mix barrels (different sizes and woods) in order to blend distillates with different aromatic profiles and ages to obtain a balanced final vatting. The resulting rum was a phenomenally smooth product – the Millonario Solera 15 and the XO, the latter of which is, in my opinion, a smidgen better (but also more pricey). I leave it to you to decide whether they are either or both better than the new (or old) Zacapa that is a perennial favourite among rum drinkers of the world. The XO in particular has received rave reviews from across the board (mine among them), is a constant favourite of my wife, and the 15 may be one of the best value-for-money rums of its kind ever made. However, it must also be noted that these rums in particular – as well as several others in the lineup – have received scathing criticism over the years for the practice of “dosing”, or the adding of caramel / sugar / additives. Some writers and connoisseurs refuse to drink them at all and discussions on the online fora both condemn the practice as well as take Rum Nation to task for not providing better disclosure.

Assigning the Reimonenq rums to Rum Nation is somewhat problematical. In this instance the Reimoinenq name of these agricoles maker was left intact, and the rums Fabio found on Guadeloupe distillery (still family owned) were bottled under that name as a special edition exclusive to Rossi&Rossi – so are they Rossi products or not? I’d suggest they are, because he selected them and was instrumental in their issue. When asked about why he chose this path to market the rums – i.e., separating them from the Rum Nation line, which already had a very good Martinique rum or two and a Guadeloupe – he remarked that the extreme character of the rum might have come as shock to the palates of his core constituency, who were more used to the softer rums RN had issued to that point. (I have never tasted any, so cannot comment on the reputed tastes of wood, licorice, coffee, oil and Tobermory and Ledaig single malts which comprise the profile). You might note that this kind of caution has been eroded somewhat with the unaged, feisty and pungent Jamaican pot-still full-proof white rum which Rum Nation issued in 2014. Clearly Rum Nation now has enough hard-won street-cred not to worry overmuch about the potential of one poorly received edition among many.

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The technique of acquiring the knowledge and expertise of others in the field did not stop there. A particular point of pride for Fabio was the creation of the two Panama rums (the 18 and 21 year old, released in 2004 and 2010 respectively), which came about after a meeting with Don Francisco Fernández, a Cuban Master Blender well known for his work with the Panamonte line, possibly the Abuelo rums (my supposition – I’m not sure, but the tastes hint at the possibility) and (I sigh to say it) Ron de Jeremy. Don “Pancho” was instrumental in creating the blend of “mezcla” for the luxury 21 year old, about which I was extremely enthused, and which I think is a remarkable rum for its price (Can$100 or so).

The philosophy of the company remains stable, and firmly married to that of Wilson & Morgan. Rum will continue to have a primary ageing cycle in the tropics, and secondary ageing and finishing in Europe. To quote Fabio – “The first [ageing] is more intense, it helps the distillate to lose the ‘young’ notes and to take up sweetness and fruitiness (also thanks to a large percentage of ex-bourbon barrels). The problem is that after some years under the Caribbean sun, alcohol levels fall too low and the wood starts to dominate. Here the second phase comes to our aid, letting the subtler aromas come out slowly and allowing us better control of the flavour profile by means of different barrel sizes, smaller or larger according to how much we want to have oak influence on the rum or simply let it rest and soften up, leaving time to work its magic on the distillate rounding it up with the elegance that only a long wait can give. In this second phase we can play freely, like tailors, to shape our bottlings according to our taste, and it’s as important as the choice of distillate coming out of the stills.” Depending on the desired finish, barrels from the Spanish bodegas are often used – sherry, Pedro Ximenez, or even barrels which once held Spanish brandy.

The years 2014 to 2016 saw Rum Nation moving into progressively different areas, all of them interesting. The bottle shape was redesigned (the stamps remain on the labels); the Jamaican pot still rum is to be released in progressively older variants, a Panama 18 solera was issued in 2015 and the old Demeraras and Jamaicas got another iteration. And at last, in 2016, Rum Nation went all in and began to sell their Rare Rums, initially made up of three older Demeraras, and additional Jamaican and Reunion rums issued in 2017. The rationale here was to appeal to the “most jaded” connoisseurs who demanded not only unfiltered, unadulterated country-specific rums, but still-specific, cask-strength products (the Supreme Lord and aged Demeraras were never consistently from the same estates/stills).

I imagine it will be just a question of time before many other countries’ rums get this treatment as well. As far as Fabio is concerned, the search for new products to expand his catalogue is neverending. Like all companies that have found a growing niche market with dedicated consumers wanting to extend their horizons beyond the obvious, you can tell RN is positioning itself to expand even further into rum bottlings as esoteric and eccentric as my questions. So while it was never stated outright, I imagine we’ll be seeing aged and stronger variations of the old favourites, some more agricoles, and maybe rums from even further afield…India, maybe, or even Fiji, Thailand, or Australia. It’ll be a fun experience, watching it all unfold in the years to come, and one thing is for sure, we’ll be enjoying them. I know I will.

***

Some opinions and notes of my own, over and beyond the facts as reported above:

I wanted to remark on the difference between the maturation philosophies of the two companies, Rum Nation and Velier, or, as I like to joke, Athens and Sparta. Velier, as I noted in their company profile, does not muck about. Cask strength, bam, always fully matured in tropics, so here, take that – there’s something awe inspiring about their commitment to brute simplicity, austerity and quality. And then there’s Rum Nation – softer and perhaps more elegant stylists, who age their barrels in situ and then in Europe. They issue rums at middling strengths (generally 40-45%), almost nothing in power like the massive blows of a full-proof (this began to change in 2014, and in 2016 really took off with the Small Batch collection). There’s a soft kind of serene voluptuousness about their rums, yet also a real heft and thickness that transcends mere taste and encompasses texture, mouthfeel, how it fades – it’s really lovely stuff, and even the rums Fabio tosses off as “entry-level spirits” were, to me, a cut above the ordinary. One company adheres to a minimalist, strong-is-better philosophy, and I can just imagine them throwing out the weak or the unfit; the other takes some time, babies its offspring a bit, takes them on journeys, changes their barrels and seems a bit more playful. Both take their s**t really seriously. And both deserve enormous respect because of it, different as their products might be.

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A list of Rums RN have produced is below (updated as best as I can), linked to any review I might have done. Also included is the Millonarios and Reimonenqs, since these are brands Fabio manages as part of his overall spirits business. Please note that because of the same rum being issued with the same name in multiple years, it is almost inevitable that I would have missed something. As always, drop me a line for what I’ve overlooked.

Note that Barrel-Aged-Mind, that great German rum resource, also has a similar page on RN.

  • Barbados 12 YO 1995-2008 43% (2008 release)
  • Barbados 10 YO 2001-2011, 40%
  • Barbados 8 YO 2002 -2010 43%
  • Barbados 8 YO 2000-2008 43%
  • Barbados 10 YO 2004-2014 43%
  • Barbados 10 YO 2005-2015 40%
  • Barbados 12 YO Anniversary (2014 release) 40% (RL Seale)
  • Barbados Anniversary Decanter 2016 40%
  • Demerara 27 YO 1973-2000 45%
  • Demerara 26 YO 1974-2000 45%
  • Demerara 24 YO 1975-1999 45%
  • Demerara 25 YO 1975-2000 45%
  • Demerara 31 YO 1975-2007 43%
  • Demerara 21 YO 1980-2001 45%
  • Demerara 18 YO 1981-2000 45%
  • Demerara 18 YO 1982-2000 45%
  • Demerara 23 YO 1985-2008 43%
  • Demerara 16 YO 1989-2005 45% (private client)
  • Demerara 23 YO 1989-2012 45%
  • Demerara 25 YO 1990-2015 45% (sherrywood finish)
  • Demerara 15 YO 1989-2004 43%
  • Demerara “1989” 12 YO (2001) 45%
  • Demerara “1990” 12 YO (2002) 45%
  • Demerara “1991” 12 YO (2003) 45%
  • Demerara 15 YO 1990-2005 43%
  • Demerara 23 YO 1990-2014 45%
  • Demerara 25 YO 1990-2015 45%
  • Demerara 15 YO 1991-2006 43%
  • Demerara 12 YO 1992-2004 43%
  • Demerara 15 YO 1992-2007 43%
  • Demerara 12 YO 1993-2005 43%
  • Demerara 12 YO 1994-2006 43%
  • Demerara Solera No. 14 Realease 2008 40%
  • Demerara Solera No. 14 Release 2010 40%
  • Demerara Solera No. 14 Release 2012 40%
  • Demerara Solera No. 14 Release 2017 40%
  • Guadeloupe Blanc (Unaged) Release 2015 50%
  • Guadeloupe Blanc (Unaged) Release 2016 50%
  • Guadeloupe Vieux Release 2016 40%
  • Guatemala 23 YO 1982-2005 Release 2005 40%
  • Guatemala 23 YO 1984-2007 Release 2007 40%
  • Guatemala Gran Reserva 2018 40%
  • Panama 10 YO Release 2016 40%
  • Panama 18 YO (3 pre-2004 releases, years unknown, per RN/FR)
  • Panama 18 YO Release 2004 40%
  • Panama 18 YO Release 2005 40%
  • Panama 18 YO Release 2007 40%
  • Panama 18 YO Release 1991-2009 40%
  • Panama 18 YO Release 1994-2012 40%
  • Panama 18 YO Release 2010 40%
  • Panama 18 YO Release 2014 40%
  • Panama 18 YO Release 1997-2015 40%
  • Panama 18 Year Solera 2015 40%
  • Panama 18 Year Solera 2016 40%
  • Panama 21 YO Release 1989-2010 40%
  • Panama 21 YO Release 1993-2014 40%
  • Panama 21 YO Release 1995-2015 40%
  • Peruano 8 YO 2008-2016 46.5% *for Denmark #1)
  • Peruano 8 YO 2006-2014 42%
  • Peruano 8 YO 2007-2015 42%
  • Peruano 8 YO 2000-2008 42%
  • Peruano 8 YO 1999-2007 42%
  • Peruano 8 YO 1998-2006 42%
  • Rhum Reimonenq Rhum Vieux 5 YO 2009-2014 40%
  • Rhum Reimonenq Rhum Vieux 10 YO 2004-2014 40%
  • Rhum Reimonenq Rhum Vieux 2003 40%
  • Rhum Reimonenq Rhum Vieux 1998 40%
  • Rhum Reimonenq 5 YO 2006-2011 40%
  • Rhum Reimonenq 9 YO 1999-2008 40%
  • Trinidad 5 YO 2012-2017 (ABV TBA)
  • Trinidad Caroni 18 YO 1998-2016 55%
  • Trinidad Caroni 16 YO 1999-2015 55%
  • Trinidad Caroni 16 YO 1998-2014 (Batch 1) 55%
  • Trinidad Caroni 16 YO 1998-2014 55%
  • Venezuela 10 YO 1992-2003 43%

The Rare Collection

  • Rare Collection Enmore 2002-2016 14 YO 56.8%
  • Rare Collection Enmore 2002-2016 14 YO 58.8%
  • Rare Collection Enmore 2002-2017 15 YO 58.3%
  • Rare Collection Enmore 1997-2016 19 YO 58.7% Sherry Finish
  • Rare Collection Enmore 1997-2017 20 YO 56.4% Whisky Cask Finish
  • Rare Collection Hampden 1992-2016 24 YO 61.6%
  • Rare Collection Hampden 1998-2016 18 YO 66.3%
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2001-2016 15 YO 52.8%
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2004-2019 15 YO 62.8%
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2006-2016 10 YO 54.2%
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2005-2017 12 YO 59.5%
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2006-2018 12 YO 59.7% Grand Arome
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2008-2018 12 YO 57.4% Sherry Finish
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2007-2017 10 YO 59.3% Sherry Finish
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2006-2019 11 YO 57.6% Traditionnel
  • Rare Collection Savanna 2007-2019 12 YO 62.7% Grand Arome
  • Rare Collection Worthy Park 2006-2017 11 YO 57.0%
  • Rare Collection Worthy Park 2006-2018 12 YO 58.0%
  • Rare Collection Caroni 1997-2017 20 YO 57.8% (Sherry finish)
  • Rare Collection Caroni 2009-2017 8 YO
  • Rare Collection Caroni 1997-2018 21 YO 59.2% “Islay Cask”
  • Rare Collection Caroni 1998-2019 21 YO 57.9%

Sources

 

Velier

 23 Responses »
Oct 202014
 

velier logo 2

It’s no surprise that I start the “Makers” section of this website with Velier. Perhaps no other company since Rum Nation has so captured my attention the way this one has, and with both it’s about their focus. The scotch makers like G&M, Cadenhead, A.D. Rattray and Bruichladdich also produce year-specific, limited editions of rums, but their product lines are somewhat diluted by not concentrating solely on rums but on the whiskies which are their primary products (at least in my opinion). Velier in contrast has made its name primarily by doing something quite different – they issue all of their products at full proof, and they issue only rums, mostly from Guyana, Trinidad and the French West Indies (see below for other lines of business).

Luca Gargano, the man most closely identified with the company, is a character all by himself. He is an inveterate traveller, photographer, writer and rum lover (to call him an aficionado would be to understate the matter). His stories, delivered with a twinkle in his eye, are the stuff of either bulls**t or legend, and I prefer to believe the latter, just because, y’know, they’re so interesting – for example, there’s the one about how, in service to one of his “five principles,” he doesn’t associate with politicians, and so one time he feigned sickness in Cuba so he wouldn’t have to speak to Fidel Castro. And the other five principles, which he calls privileges? — No watch, no cell phone, no driving and no reading newspapers. So yeah, something of an eccentric, but man, the stories he tells, the way he tells then (he’s truly something of a born raconteur). And he always finishes off by reaching somewhere, fishing out a bottle and a glass and saying “Taste this.”

Luca Gargano began with Velier by buying into the tiny Genoese concern in the early nineteen eighties while he was only 27 – at the time he was the Director of Marketing Spirit SpA, the largest import company in Italy. Even then, his experience as the brand ambassador for St James (from Martinique) during the 1970s infused him with a love for rums. Velier, a small family firm, had been founded by Casimir Chaix back in 1947, and between 1953 and 1983, it became known for importing of wines and spirits to Italy, mostly the north (products included champagne, brandy, even tea and cocoa). Luca began to change the tilt of the company by encouraging the import of spirits particularly targeted at top restaurants and wine bars and developed the image and the distribution of Champagne Billecart-Salmon, which at the time was completely unknown.

Gargano

In 1991 Velier developed a line of Latin American White Spirits (cachaca, mezcal, pisco) made to cater to the trendy and ethnic spirits wave which was just gathering steam at the time. The company began its move to craft spirits in 1992 (which I think is the year that the El Dorado 15 year old first appeared), by beginning its selection of barrels of old single malts and rum for its brand. This led, in 1995, to the issuance of several Caribbean rums, riding the wave of the current trend in releasing craft bottling in limited quantities.

Arguably Luca’s earliest coup was to buy almost the entire Damoiseau 1980 output that had been deemed unsell-able because of a proportion of molasses in the rum. He released Velier’s Damoiseau 1980 in 2002 (Damoiseau themselves stole a march on him and issued their own version – they had kept back some of the stock, and as I can attest, that rum is excellent) and he remarked that it was this rum that crystallized his “full-proof” concept, that of issuing rums at natural strength with no dilution whatsoever, and having them fully aged in the tropics.

Gargano 2

In 2003, after having befriended Yesu Persaud, the chairman of the Guyanese spirits conglomerate Demerara Distillers Ltd, he was given access to very old stocks mouldering away in their warehouses in Diamond – it is my contention that the issuance of these rums has solidified Velier’s name as a company whose bottlings are one of a kind, a company to watch, and whose rare and aged products are really spectacular. Most independent bottlers have the Enmores and Port Mourants as part of the canon, and DDL themselves blend many estate- or still-specific rums into their excellent El Dorado line – but Velier took it one step further, and issued the estate specific rums as rums in their own right: LBI, Blairmont, Versailles, Albion, Skeldon, Port Mourant, Enmore…and all at natural strength. They have, as I remarked in my Skeldon 1973 review, become occasional subjects of cult worship simply due to their rarity (and excellence – I have yet to find a dog in Velier’s line up, and have consistently scored their rums very high). In 2004, Velier bought a tiny stake in DDL, which granted them access to future (and past) rum stocks.

Another series of rums of note which enhanced Velier’s street-cred among rum aficionados was the Caroni line. Caroni was a plantation and distillery in Trinidad, which was shuttered in 2002 (some darkly mutter that it was for crass political reasons), and has a place in rum-lovers’ pantheons which whisky aficionados reserve for Port Ellen. The last stocks of this distillery were supposedly sold at auction in 2003, but in 2004, Velier seems to have snapped up an enormous amount of casks from the 70s, 80s and 90s which they have used to issue several iterations (all full-proof, of course).

Between 2008 and 2014, as Velier’s reputation grew (and maybe as finances and enthusiasm permitted) the company began branching out to other islands and experimenting with distillation and ageing techniques. According to Luca, he had the impulse to produce a rhum agricole with a double distillation, and convinced Mr Vittorio Gianni Capovilla, himself a master distiller (www.capovilladistillati.it) and the Bielle distillery on Marie Galante, to create a new distillery. This was done through Bielle, administratively and legally part of them but operationally independent, apart from the sugar juice supplied by Bielle. The Liberation line (issued under the label RhumRhum) essayed to make agricoles by fermenting the juice without adding water and then double distilling it in copper pot stills. By 2020, this project, after over a decade in operation, was ready to issue the final Liberation release, after which Luca and Capovilla, who had bought the stills, the name and most of the barrels, would transfer operations over to the Pere Labatt distillery, and work as a completely independent enterprise, and (more importantly) a legally separate distillery, from there.

Then there is the Clairin line of Haitian rums, launched in 2012, and more recently there are experimental blends like the 2014 release of PM/ENM, and the Ron Papalin, as well as the 2015 “Still” line from Guyana and Barbados and Jamaica. There are plans to deal in soleras at some point.

Velier shop

In 2014 Velier opened two shops in Paris, one dedicated to Velier Rhum (the other to Triple A wines). That same year, Luca’s first book “Atlas du Rhum” was published by Flammarion. Velier continues to do more than rums, of course. They are both bottler and importer, yet I argue that it is for their rums they are now primarily known and upon which their fame rests. They might import absinthe, gin and whisky and whatever else – but they make rums. Damned good ones.

Unfortunately, in 2015, it appeared that Velier’s relationship with DDL came to an end, and in spite of being a minority (very minority) shareholder in the company, their unique ability to choose barrels from DDL’s warehouses has ceased. Some call this the end of “The Age of Velier’s Demeraras.” For those who appreciated the Demerara full proofs Velier issued from the famous stills, this was nothing less than a catasstrophic disappointment. Luca branched out, of course – as noted, he has looked into the distribution and promotion of clairins from Haiti, hinting at deepening involvement in non-traditional sources of rum; and in 2015 he issued single estate pot still rums from Jamaica, Guyana and Barbados, as well as investigating the possibilities of Hampden estate in Jamaica for the 2016 release season.

2017 was a great year for Velier, because it was the 70th anniversary of the company, and to commemorate the occasion, Luca pushed a number of new releases out the door – from Barbados, from Jamaica, Mauritius, Japan, Haiti et al (see list below). These became highly sought after rums in their own right, and many others issued in 2016-2017 were issued at young ages, as whites, or to showcase particular distillation apparatuses; many more were done in collaboration with famous houses like Nine Leaves, Chamarel, Hampden and Worthy Park. And no story of such collaborations could be complete without noting the work done with Richard Seale of Foursquare, including the now famous 2006 ten year old and the Triptych rums which were so amazingly popular that they were sold out before actually going on sale online, and required special personalized distribution to hard core fans

As if all this was not enough, in late 2017 Velier announced plans to open an office in New York, to be run by Daniele Biondi (whose name is on several labels of the old Demeraras). Velier is already well known to American rum aficionados, and Daniele’s mission was to raise awareness and build the brand in a country where milquetoast 40% rums of no particular distinction have often relegated cask strength premium rums to the back shelf. The opening of the Velier office in Brooklyn – a partnership between themselves and La Maison du Whiskey – was covered widely on FB, and many of the North American rum “Names” flew in for the occasion. Unsurprisingly, the rums being promoted right off the bat were the Haitian clairins I had such a violent love affair with, and the pot still Habitation Velier collection.

This expansion of Velier’s distribution network was followed in 2018 by the announcement in May that East Coast Liquor in Sydney (Australia) gained the exclusive distribution rights to Habitation Velier rums, in conjunction with promotion by one of the older rum sites in existence, that of Refined Vices (opened in 2007) run by Tatu Kaarlas, a Finn who emigrated down under a decade before. Clearly Velier’s rums were not just a phenomenon of Europe or North America, but were sought after and desired much further field than the traditonal outlets. In September of that year, Velier launched the Hampden range of rums – I’ve heard they bought the entire stock of Hampden’s production for the next two years — by issuing a full proof 60% and one at 46%, at what has become a near legendary Tasting of the Century where in addition to the Hampden launch, four epic rums from ages past were decanted for the fortunate attendees.

As if that was not enough, Velier’s 2018 release slate contained not just a new series of clairins and Caronis, but a series of Jamaican Longpond rums at 60% that tried to showcase the “Wedderburn” and “Continental” styles of rum make from years past. It’s an interesting and welcome departure from better known rum series for Velier, and promises a fascinating new set of rums from that island.

New offices and Plenipotenziario, 2020

These rums were enhanced by a slate of releases in 2019 that showed the wide variety Velier has championed ever since the intitial Demeraras and Caronis that made their name: there were pure rums from Monymusk and Hampden (although not from Worthy Park), Reunion and Mauritius, more Habitation Velier whites and unaged rums, more Caroni “Employee” series rums, and the last barrels of Caroni distillate were bottled in this year. The collaboration with Foursquare continues to yield sought after rums like the Plenipotenziario and Patrimonio and even the move to a new headquarters in Genoa in 2020 has become an occasion to release rums named after the old one.

2020 showed that Velier moved definitively away from the elephants with which its reputation had been made (perhaps there are no more to be found) to smaller and more distinct bottlings of exacting selection. An arrangement with Neisson was negotiated that would allow Neisson rums to become part of the Velier outturn, and three special Appleton pot-still-only rums from 1994, 1995 and 1999 were selected for bottling in that year (and two more in 2021). On top of this there was the ever-expanding lineup of Habitation Velier rums (which I term “educational” with good reason) – Privateer from the USA was one such, and other rums from around the Caribbean and even wider afield are rumoured. This is not even counting more standard “black-bottle” releases like those from Karukera, Nine Leaves and Savanna HERR, an 8 YO Hampden, another Chamarel from Mauritius and a Monymusk 2007 13 YO….and perhaps most intriguingly, a Providence white rum from Port au Prince (Haiti), distilled by Herbert Linge de Barbancourt (from Muller stills), and something I looked forward to myself, one of 1200 bottles of the near mythical Rivers Antoine distillery from Grenada.

Given the reputation Velier has now amassed elsewhere in the world, there is no doubt that the future of their bottlings remains a dynamic one. Because Luca does like to push the boundaries, and his passion has been remarked on by many who have met the man. I don’t imagine I’ll ever get them all – he’s issuing them too fast, and my wallet can’t keep pace (a complete set of every Velier Caroni ever issued was once advertised for sale by an Italian gent for two thousand Euros (utterly unthinkable now), a single bottle of the Skeldon 1978 sold on Ebay for €1,200 in early 2015, and a twin set of the 1973 and 1978 was going in 2016 for €8,000, which gives you an indication of what acquiring the entire canon would entail). Yet I’ll keep trying, as many others will, because Luca’s one of the few in the rum making world who keeps raising the bar for aged, powerful and unique rums that will not be seen again.

And if his name is now known more widely than before 2012 when I and others first began writing about his rums, perhaps it was inevitable that the concussive blast of his earlier work has now been replaced by smaller explosions of high quality, original rums, whose releases are eagerly awaited by those who love his work.

Below is a list of all Velier products of which I am aware, ordered by location and date of distillation (not issue). It’s as exhaustive as I could make it, a good starting point, and I have updated it constantly. Links relate to reviews I’ve written…and yeah, they look as lonely as a few camels in the Sahara, but them’s the breaks.

Guyana

Trinidad – Caroni

  • Caroni 1974 Heavy 34 YO (1974 – 2008), 66.1%
  • Caroni 1982 Light 23 YO (1982 – 2005), 59.2%
  • Caroni 1982 Light 24 YO (1982 – 2006), 55.2%
  • Caroni 1982 Light 24 YO (1982 – 2006), 56.4%
  • Caroni 1982 Heavy 24 YO (1982 – 2006), 58.3%
  • Caroni 1982 Heavy 23 YO (1982 – 2005), 62%
  • Caroni 1982 Heavy 23 YO (1982 – 2005), 77.3%
  • Caroni 1983 Extra Strong 110° Proof 17 YO, 55%
  • Caroni 1983 Heavy 22 YO (1983 – 2005), 55%
  • Caroni 1983 High Proof Heavy 22 YO (1983 – 2005), 52%
  • Caroni 1984 Heavy 22 YO (1984 – 2006), 54.6%
  • Caroni 1984 Heavy 24 YO (1984 – 2008), 59.3%
  • Caroni 1985 Old Legend 15 YO (1985 – 2006), 43.4%
  • Caroni 1985 Blended 20 YO (1985 – 2005), 49.5%
  • Caroni 1985 Heavy 21 YO (1985 – 2006), 58,8% vol.
  • Caroni 1985 Heavy 20 YO (1985 – 2005), 62% vol.
  • Caroni 1985 Heavy 20 YO (1985 – 2005), 75.5%
  • Caroni 1988 Blended 20 YO (1988 – 2008) 43%
  • Caroni 1989 Heavy 16YO (1989 – 2005), 62%
  • Caroni 1989 Light 17YO (1989- 2006), 64.2%
  • Caroni 1991, 66%
  • Caroni 1991 Blended 19YO (1991 – 2010), 55%
  • Caroni 1991 Blended 15 YO (1991 – 2006) 43.4%
  • Caroni 1992 Heavy 20 YO (1992 – 2012) , 60.2%
  • Caroni 1992 Heavy 20 YO (1992 – 2012), 55%
  • Caroni 1993 Blended 17 YO (1993 – 2010), 44.4%
  • Caroni 1994 Heavy 18YO (1994 – 2012), 55%
  • Caroni 1994 Heavy 18YO (1994 – 2012), 62.6%
  • Caroni 1994 High Proof 17 YO (1994 – 2011), 52%
  • Caroni 1994 Heavy 23 YO (1994-2017) “Guyana Stock” 61%
  • Caroni 1994 Heavy 23 YO (1994-2017) “Guyana Stock” 59%
  • Caroni 1994 Heavy 23 YO (1994-2017) “Guyana Stock” 59.8%
  • Caroni 1994 Heavy 23 YO (1994-2017) “Guyana Stock” 57.18%
  • Caroni 1995 Heavy 22 YO (1995-2018) (Cask 3812)
  • Caroni 1996 Heavy 17 YO (1996 – 2013) 55%
  • Caroni 1996 Heavy 17 YO (1996 – 2013) 63%
  • Caroni 1996 Heavy 20 YO (1996 – 2016) 70.8% “Fire” (Cask R3721)
  • Caroni 1996 Heavy 20 YO (1996-2016) 70.8% “Legend” (Cask R3718)
  • Caroni 1996 Heavy 20 YO (1996 – 2016) 62.4% (Cask 5623)
  • Caroni 1996 Heavy 20 YO (1996 – 2016) 70.1% “Trespassers will be Prosecuted”
  • Caroni 1996 Heavy 20 YO (1996 – 2016) 57.18% “100 Proof”
  • Caroni 1996 Blended 21 YO (1996 – 2017) 61.3%
  • Caroni 1996 Blended 21 YO (1996 – 2017) 65.1%
  • Caroni 1996 Blended 21 YO (1996 – 2017) 59.8%
  • Caroni 1996 Blended 21 YO (1996 – 2017) 64.3%
  • Caroni 1996 “Trilogy” Heavy (1996 – 2016) 70.28%
  • Caroni 1996 Blended 21 YO (1996-2017) Extra Strong 100º “Imperial Proof”
  • Caroni 1997 20YO (1997 – 2017) 61.9%
  • Caroni 1998 Extra Strong 104° Proof 15 YO (1998 – 2013), 52%
  • Caroni 1998 Blended 17 YO (1998-2015) Extra Strong 110° Proof 55%
  • Caroni 2000 100% 12 YO (2000 – 2012), 50%
  • Caroni 2000 “Millenium” Extra Strong 120° Proof, 60%
  • Caroni 2000 High Proof (2000-2017) 55%
  • Caroni 2000 Heavy (2000-2017) 68.4% “Caroni Lit/Alc 2000” (Cask R4002)
  • Caroni 2000 15YO Heavy Single Cask (2000 – 2015) 70.9% “Licensed to Sell Spirit…” (Cask 4681)
  • Caroni 2017 70th Anniv Edition Blended 21 YO (1996 – 2017) 65.1%
  • Caroni 2017 70th Anniv Edition Heavy 21 YO (1996 – 2017) 64.3%
  • Caroni 2017 70th Anniv Edition Heavy 23 YO (1994 – 2017) 59.8%
  • Caroni “Employees” 1st Release Dennis “X” Gopaul 20 YO (1998-2018) 69.5%
  • Caroni “Employees” 1st Release John “D” Eversley 22 YO (1996-2018) 66.5%
  • Caroni “Employees” 2nd Release Kevon “Slippery” Moreno 21 YO (1998-2019) 69.5%
  • Caroni “Employees” 2nd Release David “Sarge” Charran 23 YO (1996-2019)
  • Caroni “Employees” 3rd Release Vijay “Vijay” Ramnarine (1996-2020) 65.3%
  • Caroni “Employees” 3rd Release Nita “Nitz” Hogan (2000-2020) 65.9%
  • Caroni “Employees” 3rd Release Ramesh “Buju” Ramgobie (1998-2020) 66.9%
  • Caroni “Employees” 4th Release Basdeo “Dicky” Ramsarran (2000-2020) 64.3%
  • Caroni “Employees” 4th Release Balas “Brigade” Bhaggan (1998-2020) 68.4%
  • Caroni “Employees” 4th Release Dayanand “Yunkoo” Balloon (1998-2020) 68.3%
  • Caroni “Employees” 5th Release Deodat “Breeze” Manmohan (1996-2021) 66.7%
  • Caroni “Employees” 5th Release Dhanraj “Dan” Maharaj (1996-2021) 66.3%
  • Caroni “Employees” 6th Release Caroni Employees “United” (1996-2021) 66.6%
  • Caroni “Employees” 6th Release Mahesh “Sonny Black” Bridgelal (1996-2021) 64.6%
  • Caroni “Employees” 6th Release Ricky “Dirty Harry” Seeharack (1996-2021) 66.2%
  • Caroni “The Last Caroni” Full Proof Heavy 23 YO (1996-2019) 61.9%
  • Caroni “The Tasting Gang” Full Proof Blended 23 YO (1996-2019) 63.5%

Marie Galante & Capovilla

Barbados

  • Foursquare Plenipotenziario 12 YO (2007-2019) Single Blended Rum (ex Bourbon) 60%
  • Foursquare Patrimonio 15YO (2004-2019) Single Blended Rum (ex Bourbon/Ex Sherry) 58%
  • Foursquare Destino 14 YO (2013-2017) Single Blended Rum
  • Foursquare Destino 14 YO Velier 70th Anniversary
  • Foursquare Triptych ~9 YO 56% Blended Rum (released 2016)
  • Foursquare Principia 9 YO (2008-2017) 62%
  • Foursquare 2006 10 YO (2006-2016) 62%

True Explorer Series (with LMDW)

  • Foursquare “Elliott Erwitt” 15 YO (2005-2020) Single Blended Rum 58%
  • Mount Gay “Elliott Erwitt” 13 YO (2007-2020) Pure single Rum 60%
  • Saint James “Elliott Erwitt” 14 YO (2006-2020) Rhum Agricole 45%
  • Hampden “Elliott Erwitt” 4 YO (2016-2020) Pure Single Rum 60% (HLCF

Indian Ocean Series

Guadeloupe

Jamaica

Longpond

Hampden (distribution arrangement)

  • Hampden Estate 8 YO Overproof (2010-2018) 60% (original blend 2018)
  • Hampden Estate 8 YO Overproof (2010-2018) 46% (original blend 2018)
  • Momymusk EMB Warren Kong Series 24 YO (1995-2019) 67%
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum OWH 8 YO (2011-2019) (Berlin Bar Convent) 59.5% Cask No. 95
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum LROK 9 YO (2010-2019) (Salon du Rhum) 63.2% Cask No 215
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum <H> 9 YO (2010-2019) (LMDW Edition) 69.2% Cask No. 41
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum OWH 7 YO (2012-2019) (WhiskyLive 2019 Paris) 62.8% Cask No. 299
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum LFCH 8 YO (2011-2019) (WhiskyLive 2019 Singapore) 61.7% Cask No. 295
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum HLCF/DOK 9 YO (2010-2019) 61% Cask No. 76
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum LROK 9 YO (2010-2019) (New York edition) 59% Cask No. 327
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum C<>H 10 YO (2010-2020) 68.5% (2615 g/hlpa)
  • Hampden Old Pure Single Jamaican Rum Distillery Edition – Great House 2020 59.0%
  • Hampden Old Pure Single Jamaican Rum Distillery Edition – Great House 2022 55.0%
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum LROK 5YO (2016-2021) – The Younger (47.0%)
  • Hampden Rare Cask Series DOK 12 YO (2010-2022) 63.7%
  • Hampden Rare Cask Series HGML 12 YO (2010-2022) 63.6%
  • Hampden Rare Cask Series HLCF 12 YO Single Cask 78 (2010-2022) 61.9%
  • Hampden Rare Cask Series HLCF 12 YO Single Cask 79 (2010-2022) 62.8%
  • Hampden Rare Cask Series HLCF 12 YO Single Cask 80 (2010-2022) 61.3%
  • Hampden “Pagos” Sherry-Aged Jamaican Rum (~2018-2021) 52% 1200b

Hampden: Trelawny Endemic Birds Series

  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum 9 YO LROK (2011-2020) 60.3% Cask 296 “Red Billed Streamertail”
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum 8 YO OWH (2012-2020) 59.9% Cask 662 “Black Bird”
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum 10 YO LROK (2010-2020) 62.5% Cask 487 “Owl”
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum 8 YO OWH (2012-2020) 61.7% Cask 667 “Chestnut Bellied Cuckoo”
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum 10 YO LROK (2010-2020) 62.2% Cask 497 “Woodpecker”
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum 9 YO LFCH (2011-2020) 60.4% Cask 289 “Peewee”
  • Hampden Jamaica Pure Single Rum 8 YO (2012-2020) xx.x% Cask 670 “Euphonia”

Other Jamaicans

  • R.A.S.C. (Royal Army Service Corps) Jamaica Rum 1954 (Batch 1 – 2017) 53%
  • R.A.S.C. (Royal Army Service Corps) Jamaica Rum 1954 (Batch 2 – 2020) 53%
  • MMW Wedderburn Jamaica Vatted Pot Still Rum (Monymusk) 11 YO 69.1% Trop. Age*
  • MMW Wedderburn Jamaica Vatted Pot Still Rum (Monymusk) 11 YO 63.9% Cont. Age*
  • EMB Plummer Jamaica Vatted Pot Still Rum (Monymusk) 14 YO 69.7% Trop. Age*
  • EMB Plummer Jamaica Vatted Pot Still Rum (Monymusk) 14 YO 64.8% Cont. Age*
  • Appleton Single Estate Jamaica Rum 100% Pot Still 26 YO (1994-2020) 60%
  • Appleton Single Estate Jamaica Rum 100% Pot Still 25 YO (1995-2020) 63%
  • Appleton Single Estate Jamaica Rum 100% Pot Still 21 YO (1999-2020) 63%
  • Papalin 7 YO Original Vatted Pot Still Rum 47% (WP/Hampden Blend)
  • Papalin 7 YO Original Vatted “Navy Proof” Pot Still Rum 57.18% (WP/Hampden Blend)

*Joint bottling between E&A Scheer & Velier Genoa

Haiti

  • Clairin Vaval Rhum Agricole, Batch 1 (2012), 48,7%vol.
  • Clairin Casimir Rhum Agricole, Batch 1 (2012), 53,7%vol.
  • Clairin Sajous Rhum Agricole, Batch 1 (2012), 48,1%vol.
  • Clairin Vaval Rhum Agricole, Batch 2 (2014), 52,5%vol.
  • Clairin Sajous Rhum Agricole, Batch 2 (2014), 53,5%vol.
  • Clairin Sajous Rhum Agricole, Batch 2 (2014), 54%vol.
  • Clairin Casimir Rhum Agricole, Batch 2 (2015) 50.2%
  • Clairin Casimir Rhum Agricole (Batch unknown) 53.4%
  • Clairin Vaval Rhum Agricole (2015) 51.1%
  • Clairin Sajous Rhum Agricole (2015) 51.0%
  • Clairin World Championship (Blend)(2016) 46%
  • Clairin Le Rocher Rhum Agricole (2017) 46.5%
  • Clairin Le Rocher Rhum Agricole (2017) 51%
  • Clairin Sajous “Ansyen 19 mois” (Jun 2016 – Jan 2018) 53.1%
  • Vieux Sajous 2016-2020 4 YO Cask Strength First Release 50.6%
  • Vieux Sajous 2017-2022 5YO Ex-Caroni 52.14% (Black bottle, 4700b)
  • Papalin Haiti Original Vatted Rum 4 YO 2018-2022 53.1% (black bottle, 6000b)
  • Providence Haitian Pure Single Rum “First Drops” specs TBA
  • Providence Haitian Pure Single Rum “Dunder & Syrup” specs TBA
  • Providence Haitian Pure Single Rum 3 YO 2019-2022 52% (6000b)

Other

  • Neisson 1997 47% (Joint bottling with Velier)
  • J. Bally 1970 Reserve (with Cantarelli, 1991), Martinique
  • West Indies Old Barbados Rum 12 YO (1986 – 1998), 46%
  • Savanna Warren Kong Series 20 YO (1999-2019) 57%
  • Savanna HERR 2006 14 YO (2006-2020) 63.2%
  • Nine Leaves Pure Sugar Cane Juice Rum 2016 4 YO (2016-2020) 66.6%
  • Villa Paradisetto – Chamarel 2013-2020
  • Villa Paradisetto – Privateer 2017-2020
  • Villa Paradisetto – Monymusk 2007-2020
  • Neisson Cuvee Velier Chai Vevert #2 4 YO 2016-2020 56.8%
  • Neisson Cuvee Velier Chai Mainmain #4 4 YO 2016-2020 54.1%
  • Neisson Cuvee Velier Chai adrien #5 4 YO 2016-2020 55.8%
  • Isautier Rhum Agricole 16 YO 65% Lot 16/17 ex Bourbon Cask 536 bottles (2004?)
  • Isautier Rum Traditionnel 16 YO 65% Lot 38 ex Bourbon Cask 575 bottles (2004?)
  • Beenleigh Australian Rum 13 YO (2006-2020) 59% Tropical Ageing
  • Beenleigh Australian Rum 5 YO (2015-2020) 59% Desert Ageing
  • Amrut Indian Pure Single Rum “Collection Antipodes” 7 YO 2015-2022 65%

Habitation Velier

Velier 70th Anniversary Collaborations (2017 and 2018)

  • Karukera 2008 Single Cask 9 YO (2008-2017) 53.4%
  • Nine Leaves “Encrypted” Single Cask 4 YO (2013-2017) 65%
  • Neisson Rhum Vieux Agricole 12 YO (2005-2017) 51.3%
  • Neisson Rhum Vieux Agricole 10 YO (2007-2017) 58.1%
  • Velier Royal Navy Very Old Rum 57%
  • Chamarel Pure Single Rhum Agricole (2011-2017) 55.5%
  • Chamarel Vatted Single Rum (2010-2014) 56.5%
  • Caroni 2017 70th Anniv Edition Blended 21 YO (1996 – 2017) 65.1%
  • Caroni 2017 70th Anniv Edition Heavy 21 YO (1996 – 2017) 64.3%
  • Caroni 2017 70th Anniv Edition Heavy 23 YO (1994 – 2017) 59.8%
  • Antigua Distillery 6 YO (2012-2018) 66%
  • Pere Labat Distillerie Poisson (2010-2017) Fut 105/106 57.5%

Velier 70th Anniversary “Warren Khong” Series (2017)

  • St. Lucia Distillers Single Cask 7 YO (2010-2017) 58.6% (267b)
  • Bielle Single Cask 10 YO (2007-2017) 55% (250b)
  • Chamarel Two-Cask Blend 6 YO (2011-2017) 55.5% (249b)
  • Nine Leaves Encrypted Single Cask 3 YO (2014-2017) 64.8% (249b)
  • Mount Gilboa Three-Cask Blend 9 YO (2008-2017) 66% (1632b)
  • Hampden <H> Five-Cask Blend 7 YO (2010-2017) 62% (1659b)

Sources

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