Velier Vale Royal VRW 2006 12yo (National Rums of Jamaica)

The first of four reviews of Velier’s recent National Rums of Jamaica series, these are four rums distilled at Long Pond in Jamaica, which unfortunately recently burned down. Happily, the stills were not affected by the fire, so in a short decade we should hopefully be drinking our doses of funk again.

The four showcase different styles of rum produced by Long Pond, and have different ester counts and taste profiles. Vale Royal has the lowest ester count of the four, and by all accounts it’s the least challenging. Seems like a good place to start.

1. Velier Vale Royal VRW 2006 12yo (National Rums of Jamaica)
2. Velier Cambridge STCE 2005 13yo (National Rums of Jamaica)
3. Velier Long Pond TECA 2003 15yo (National Rums of Jamaica)
4. Velier Long Pond TECC 2007 11yo (National Rums Of Jamaica)

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Distiller: Long Pond
ABV: 62.5%
Age: 12yo
Setting: Unblind

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Nose: What a polite nose to be 62.5%! I’m getting some light brown sugar, cake batter, vanilla and wet wood. There’s almost a fruit salad note in the back, with a mild hint of rubber underpinning the lot.
Palate: Round, mouth coating and hot, the wood and rubber come forward here in a big way, giving notes of crystallised sugar, rubber bands and vanilla.
Finish: The alcohol heat peters slowly out to clarify the vanilla notes and leave a sweetness with some mild astringency.
Overall: This is a fantastic, very drinkable rum that anyone should be happy to have access to. It is not particularly funky, and offers equal parts wood, funk and fruit. Some may find it a little boring because of that, but I think it’s an incredibly solid rum.
Rank: 7