Velier Nine Leaves Red Wine Cask 2017

Velier Nine Leaves Red Wine Cask 2017 pairs the prestigious Italian bottler Velier with Nine Leaves, the small Japanese distillery run by Yoshiharu Takeuchi. This is a single cask of molasses rum, vintage 2017 and around eight years old, bottled at a full 60% with no added sugar, in keeping with Velier's full proof, additive free approach.

The red wine cask is the headline. Roasted, woody aromas mingle with wine and red fruit, then the palate turns to dried grape, sugarcane and anise before a finish of wood, dried fruit and more anise. Maturation in a wine cask layers grape and spice over the herbal, cane driven core of the spirit, and at cask strength it carries some rough edges and plenty of wood. This is a glass to pick apart in a tasting lineup rather than a relaxed evening pour, and a little water helps tame the heat and draw out the fruit.