Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 1998
Agricole drinkers who want age and roundness rather than raw cane will find their bottle here — tasters kept picking the 1998 as the best of Velier's Saint James run. Twenty years in wood shows: nougat, caramel and cocoa on the nose, dried figs and prunes on the palate, with citrus and hay keeping it lively. The finish turns dry, tannic and long. At 47% a few felt the oak leans a touch too present.
The community says- Well-balanced age
- Dried-fruit depth
- But: Oak turns dominant
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 1998 taste?
Aggregated from 67 community reviews.
Rounded, woody old Martinique agricole The favourite of the series for most who tasted the full set — rounded, complex mature agricole with no off-notes. A few wanted a bit more punch than 47% gives.
agricole fans who like mature, woody profiles
anyone wanting fresh, grassy young agricole
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
24 of 67 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
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One difference each to this rum.
More intense
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8.8/10278 €
Fruitier
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8.3/10235 €First choice: 31 of 33 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 1998 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.2 sits in the “Very good” band. 98% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
84% rate it 8 or higher. 18 selected write-ups from 67 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Serge
Parallel tasting of the Velier Saint James range in the Franconian Tasting Gang. Thanks Dom for teasing me 👌 All in all, the set is not outstandingly good for me, but rather average with a few outliers at the top and bottom. Short summary by vintages: 2015 & 2014 were rather unpleasant for me. 2010 & 2012 better but still nothing I would want to drink again. 2008 & 2006 & 2004 were much better and more interesting. 2002 then a total failure again (cat piss that develops into multivitamin tablets and doesn't go with the wood at all). 2000 was good again and 1998 was the best of the set for me.
Review by Joachim Guger
Karamell, nussig, getrocknete Früchte. Ein sehr schöne, runde Nase. Sehr gut ausbalanciert. Tolles Mundgefühl. Nun holzig und prickelnde Zitrusfrüchte. Süffig. Langer Abgang. Der Prototyp eines reifen Saint James und einer der Besseren der Serie. Fazit: Die jüngeren Vintages der Velier Serie taugen nicht viel. Die seifigen Noten, welche ich ansonst von keinem Saint James kenne, kippen das Profil. Die älteren Jahrgänge sind dann sehr gut, aber diese Qualität ist bei Agricoles mittlerweile Standard. Sehr gut ist die Trinkstärke gewählt. Ein großer Wurf ist diese Serie am Ende nicht, sie wird in den Regalen von Sammlern und Investoren verschwinden.
Review by Frank
Great VSGB Vertcal live tasting by and with Luca Gargano. 22.10.2022, 17:11. 75% Angel Share! No 1998 barrels left! Nose: elegant, full-bodied and aromatic. Spicy, woody, fruity, sweet. Old blood orange and light acidity from currant to caramel and toffee. Plus fragrant wood and sweet, soft Danish licorice. A slight soapy note out the back. Very tasty and pleasant. Palate: briefly woody bitter, then linear rising acidity, woody acidity that flattens out with lemon and fades into resinous wood with sugar cane and hay. Seems a bit diluted at the back. Sufficiently intense for only 47%. Pleasantly woody, slightly too acidic. Place: N: 4/10 G: 6/10
Review by zabo
Franconian Tasting Gang on 10.05.2024 First of all, a big thank you to DomM for providing this set. Personally, I didn't like the profile. With one exception, this soap flavor is too much for me. But thanks to DomM and Serge, the leftovers from the glasses ended up in a spontaneous and outstanding cocktail.
Review by Giorgio Garotti
Profilo tipico di saint james! Qualità della canna da zucchero ottima ed è molto percepibile! Una noto molta marcata di agrumi e di erbe in tutta la degustazione! A mio parere i 47 gradi portano un po’ troppo alla luce la parte aromatica della botte, ma gli dona una beva straordinaria! Mi aspettavo qualcosina in più, dopo aver assaggiato innumerevoli bottiglie di SJ, i millesimi più vecchi anno uno sprint in più!
Review by Jakob
In the nose wonderful melting of nougat, vanilla and caramel, plus oak and cocoa and green notes of hay and citrus. An aromatically coherent profile on the palate as well, but lacking the final balance, as the alcohol is a bit too present for me given the reduced strength. Nevertheless, my favorite of the series.
Review by Jarek
Franconian Rum Tasting Gang, 2024-05-10, Saint James 25 AOC Anniversaire (danke an Dom): Der 1998er hat mir aus der kompletten Reihe insgesamt noch am besten gefallen. Frucht, Würze und Holz schön ausbalanciert. Und nichts von der seifigen Note die bei vielen der Reihe anzutreffen war.
Review by Palo - V Poháriku
Similar to the Saint James 2000 from this release, the 1998 delivers a lot darker and sweeter flavours. The fresh fruity side present in vintages from 2002 and above is converted to really dark and sweet dried fruits here.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Compared to the 2002 this one is far lighter overall and it's my number two of these 10 releases. A light fruity profile with fruits ans some cinnamon and light wood. An elegant and well rounded old rum.
Review by Pavel Spacek
This Saint James was definitely not Velier masterpiece. Just one common filling to co tinue the production.
Review by Roberto Bessa Ferreira
Ausgezeichnet Saint James mit viel Schokolade, Vanille, fruchtig, richtig menge holz und lange Gaumen.
Review by Oliver
Complex, creamy and not too much wood influence. Perfect alcohol strength. The highlight of the series for me.
Review by Adrien B
Bouche : beau concentré, épicé sur les gencives, frais aussi Très beau profil, très noble
Review by ilRummista
Un gran Saint James, complesso anche se a tratti si sente un po’ il legno.
Review by Johannes
Rather woody, but round, complex, no off notes, long finish.
Review by Johan R
Gillade denna. Fatig men fin.
Review by Rowald Sweet Empire
Tasted at a private tasting. Very old and delicate.
Review by Rumclub Latvia
Amazingly soft to me
No reviews match this filter.
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
Avg. community purchase price 192 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 1998
A Rhum Agricole AOC from Martinique, bottled by Velier, at 47%.
Community purchases
24 bottles logged by 21 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
8% opened, 0 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 1998?
Community paid 16–200 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
24 purchased · 69 tasted · 8 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
All releases in this series
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 1998
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 1998Rounded, woody old Martinique agricole
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2000
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2000Dark, dry old agricole; balanced but not complex
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2002
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2002Old, woody agricole with a divisive soapy palate
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2004
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2004Woody, herbal aged agricole with a bitter edge
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2006
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2006Dry, woody aged agricole with citrus
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2008
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2008Grassy aged agricole with a soapy streak
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2010
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2010Great nose, divisive soapy agricole palate
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2012
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2012Woody, floral agricole with a divisive soapy note
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2014
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2014Dry, peppery agricole with a soapy edge
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2015
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2015Young, grassy agricole with divisive soapy note
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Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2006
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Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2004
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2004Woody, herbal aged agricole with a bitter edge
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2010
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2010Great nose, divisive soapy agricole palate
Velier Chamarel Warren Khong Villa Paradisetto 1988/2020 2013
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Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2002
Velier Saint James Sélection exclusive Velier 2002Old, woody agricole with a divisive soapy palate
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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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