Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum 2012
Toasted wood, vanilla, caramel and coconut, with warm spice and a long, drying finish. Several tasters keep comparing it to a Foursquare — sweet-leaning nose, then a bold, spicy, woody palate. At 66% the heat is real, but most people find the alcohol surprisingly well tucked in for such a young, full-proof pour. A few catch glue and solvent hints underneath.
The community says- Well-integrated 66%
- Long spicy finish
- Alcohol can dominate
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum 2012 taste?
Aggregated from 141 community reviews.
Heavy, woody, spice-driven full-proof sipper Widely liked as a rounded, characterful Antigua rum — heavy, spicy and woody with strong vanilla-caramel sweetness. The main gripe: the high ABV isn't always fully integrated on a fresh bottle.
Fans of Foursquare-style woody, spicy sipping rums at full proof
Anyone wanting a soft, low-ABV easy pour
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
62 of 141 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Velier The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum 2012 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.4 sits in the “Very good” band. 97% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
19% rate it between 6 and 8. 19 selected write-ups from 141 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
#bottlekill 🥲 extrem runder Rum für so ein junges alter und die hohe alkoholstärke. Granate. nach wie vor für mich einer der besten PLV Fassstärke Rums auf dem Markt. ❤️🙏🇦🇬 im Vergleich zum neuen english harbour straight From the cask liegt dieser hier ne Spur vorne da er deutlich mehr Aromen zu bieten hat und mir insgesamt noch besser gefällt, mehr Frucht, mehr Power und mehr Komplexität.💥 Mein absoluter #1 Antigua Rum! Schade dass ich hier damals für die lächerliche uvp von ~60€ nicht direkt ne Kiste geholt hab. Einfach nur lecker!
Review by Stefan Persson
This is unmistakably an English Harbour. The taste is quite much like the 5yo, but with much longer and stronger finish. My feeling is that it tastes very much like an genuine and typical rum a little from the past.
Review by Maxence
Very sweet and round profile with coconut, almonds, pastries, vanilla and a very good alcohol integration. Impressive quality / (release) price ratio. A must have 😋
Review by Mirko Frosini 🇮🇪
I don't like column-distilled rums because of the strong hint of vanilla and caramel that predominate over everything; this one has just the right blend. A good rum, but it doesn't fully convince me. Purchased at 55 euros, I absolutely would not buy it at a higher price. Unfortunately in the world of rums of a certain level there is too much speculation even on rums of dubious quality.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
01.02.2025 Retasting at the "Nordlichter Treffen 2025". Lost a few points. --------------------------- Nose Light wood, caramel, berries, light currants, vanilla, light clove, lemon, light vegetal. Palate Light wood, light varnish, light vinegar (sour), caramel, light chocolate, light nutty, light banana, faint tobacco light vanilla, fruity. Finish Wood, light nutty, dried fruit, light berries, light vanilla, faint chocolate, light caramel.
Review by Joachim Guger
Full, warm and very good. Very balanced and quaffable. A full proof easy sipper if there is such a thing.
Review by Rodolphe
Belle découverte, rhum gourmand sur un profil typique Barbade foursquare avec coco, vanille, fruits à coque, concentration sympa. Bref. Beau rhum très agréable à boire. Par contre, avis personnel, je vais plutôt acheter un truc moins cher et plus facile à trouver pour avoir la même chose dans le verre.
Review by Jarek
Simple but delicious. Coconut, caramel and sweetness in abundance. Plus enough power. Would love to try the single cask in comparison. Addendum: I've just shared a bottle of it in the forum and tasted the rum again when bottling. I still quite like it, but I find the alcohol a little too dominant in a freshly opened bottle.
Review by Stefan L
Yummy 😋 - a Couple of years later since last tasting and this is really good.
Review by Chrischi78
Ein besonders gefälliger Vertreter aus Antigua. Ein tolles rundes Geschmacksprofil mit den typischen, schönen Antigua-Noten. Dabei ausgesprochen weich mit gut eingebundenem Alkohol. Herussstechende Abfüllung aus Antigua!
Review by Boletus
Kurz vorher hatte ich einen Foursquare verkostet und dieser Antigua-Rum schlägt absolut in die gleiche Kerbe. Getoastetes Holz, viel Vanille und Kokos sowie Rosinen und leichte tropische Fruchtnuancen. Der Alkohol ist zudem sehr gut eingebunden. Eine runde und feine Sache!
Review by F.L.O.
Nach drei Jahren mal wieder im Glas. Bei einem blind Tasting würde ich wohl auf Foursquare tippen. Sehr schöne nussige und vanillaromen in der Nase und auf der Zunge. Alkohol ist super eingebunden. Aber die damalige Euphorie teile ich nicht mehr. Super Rum, aber kein Einhorn.
Review by Tim
Die Nase gefällt mir etwas besser als die beiden English Harbour High Congener Series, da es einfach nach mehr Süßigkeiten und Früchten duftet. Gut ausgewogen, aber eher würzig und scharf im Mund. Abgang sehr holzig und ebenfalls würzig, hier kommen mir die Früchte etwas zu kurz. Ansonsten solides Gesamtpaket.
Review by TheRhumhoe
L’expression brut d’un rhum d’Antigua. Le nez est d’une grande gourmandise entre les épices (vanille, cannelle) et les notes pâtissières (crème brûlée, caramel, sucre brun). Le côté fruité (orange, noix de coco, prune) confère une certaine puissance qu’on ressent dans les narines. C’est à la fois d’une belle douceur et d’une fougue sauvage assez intrigante. L’attaque en bouche est assez bestiale, on sent ici un rhum de mélasse relevé et cinglant. Les épices (piment notamment) sont soutenus par la chaleur alcoolique et un boisé intense. Malgré la noix de coco, le chocolat et le caramel, on reste sur un profil sec et charpenté. L’alcool pourrait être un petit peu mieux intégré, et ce même après aération. La finale est très longue et conserve une certaine lourdeur et astringence. On retrouve des notes épicées très marquées, du chocolat, du bois, du cuir, pas mal de notes pâtissières sur la mélasse, le caramel et le sucre brun ainsi que des notes rôties de noix de coco et des fruits secs. Un rhum sauvage d’un terroir des plus prometteurs.
Review by Godspeed
Love it. High quality rum with lots of character, complexity, and fullness of flavor. One of those rums where every sip is exciting as you discover something a little new each time. Very very good. Shame that the prices have run away completely from this one.
Review by w00tAN
Nordlichtertreffen 2025: Braucht etwas bis er in der Nase aufgeht dann Karamell & Vanille aber auch Frucht. Insgesamt aber eher zurückhaltend. Im Mund dann kräftig, Erst fruchtig dann setzt sich Karamell und Nuss durch. Rechh trocken mit mittellangem schokoladigem Abgang.
Review by mto75
verkostet zusammen mit dem English Harbour High Congener. Der erste Eindruck an der Nase: der Velier hat von allem etwas mehr, mehr Toffee, mehr Gewürz, mehr Schokolade…an Gaumen kommt der High Congener etwas kantiger daher, der Velier ist insgesamt runder…fairerweise muss man aber auch anerkennen, dass die Unterschiede an der Nase und am Gaumen nicht so ausgeprägt sind, dass sie den deutlichen Preisunterschied rechtfertigen würden.
Review by Benoit Mahe
An original and very tasty product with a very attractive quality ratio.
Review by kondgab
Surprisingly refined for its young age, this rum offers a long, satisfying finish with rich layers of vanilla, caramel, toffee, warm spices, coconut, and subtle hints of oak, toasted wood, and sweetness.
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Expert reviews
5 critics scored it, averaging 8.4/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by The Secret Rum Bar
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Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
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Expert review by Rhummer
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Expert review by L'amateur éclairé
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Expert review by Préférence Rhum
Read full review →Intéressant mais pas inoubliable. Vendu à petit prix à sa sortie, il ne valait pas énormément plus
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →A better fit however due to the slightlier spicier profile might be Sunset Rum from Saint Vincent. In particular their Captain Bligh XO . Which I really enjoyed a few years back This was a great rum at a great price. Apologies for not reviewing sooner!
Details about Velier The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum 2012
A Column Still Rum from Antigua, bottled by Velier, at 66%.
Community purchases
410 bottles logged by 261 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
20% opened, 28 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier The Antigua Distillery Heavy Traditional Rum 2012?
Community paid 50–165 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
410 purchased · 147 tasted · 51 wishlist · as of
About the The Antigua Distillery distillery
The The Antigua Distillery distillery is located in Antigua. Rums from The Antigua Distillery have been reviewed 1,272 times with an average of 7.9/10.
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I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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