Colour: Gold.
Nose: The alcohol integration is nice but could have been slightly better. That’s a very expressive nose with a lot of solvents first. It has a typical St Lucia identity with leather, wood and herbal freshness. We have marzipan, almond liquor, honey, grains, mangoes, bananas, nutmeg, orange peels, roasted coconuts, white pepper and some acidity with unripe apples.
Mouth: Nice thick texture and that’s powerful in terms of aromas. Overripe papayas, brown sugar, brand new leather, peppermint, chilies, polished wood, blackcurrant, forest fruits, herbal notes, fuel and pine wood. That’s complex with a better alcohol integration than we had in the nose.
Finish: Long, warm and slightly drying. Forest fruits, vanilla, eucalyptus, burnt wood and honey.

It has the flame from a young rum, with the complexity than an older one. Good job Luca!

Score: 89

Colour: Gold.
Nose: The first nose is more austere than the Velier’s one, it’s also more structured. In a blind tasting, I doubt I could’ve say that’s a 9 years old rum over 70 ABV, the alcohol is very well integrated. Wood, glue, grains, honey, vanilla cream, lemon meringue pie, nutmeg, chalk, marzipan, cocoa, mangoes, raspberries and some light smoke. It’s complex and mysterious in the same time, the profile is a bit different than any other St Lucia I’ve tasted yet.
Mouth: The alcohol integration is as nice as the nose. That’s warm but so sweet in the same time. Leather, honey, grains, raspberries, forest fruits, dark chocolate, nutmeg, white pepper, vanilla cream, peppermint and solvent. The texture is also pleasant. The mouth is at the same level than this nice nose, great!
Finish: Mid-long and slightly drying. Peppermint, blackcurrant, burnt wood, leather and tobacco.

Did I really tasted a 9 years old rum at 70.8%? The result is unquestionably wonderful. That’s classy and refined, very nice and surprising rum!

Score: 91