Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Skeldon SWR 1973
Dark chocolate, coffee and old wood pour out of the glass — several tasters spent a full hour just on the nose, calling it among the best they know. On the palate it's deep and intense: espresso, dried figs, walnut, leather, with tannins that "squeeze your tongue" and a real bitterness. A 32-year tropical-aged Skeldon that rewards patience but demands it.
The community says- Extraordinary nose
- Deep and complex
- Long finish
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Skeldon SWR 1973 taste?
Aggregated from 23 community reviews.
Deep, bitter, wood-driven old Demerara sipper Adored for one of the finest noses in Demerara rum, with figs, coffee and cocoa. The catch is a heavy, bitter, wood-forward palate that a few found too much.
People who love old, tannic, bitter wood-and-coffee Demerara rum
Anyone who dislikes bitterness or heavy oak
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
5 of 23 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Velier Skeldon SWR 1973 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.3 sits in the “Excellent” band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
0% rate it between 6 and 8. 8 selected write-ups from 23 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Jakob
Very noble profile, even if extremely bitter. Cocoa, coffee, leather, barrel - multi-layered dark notes paired with some dried fruit and subtle sweetness. For me, the nose is one of the best I've ever tasted - however, the rum's age has caused it to lose some of its edge on the palate. A rum for which you have to take your time, but which is well worth it.
Review by Oliver
A tad better on the nose than the 1978. Too much wood on the palate.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Old wooden cupboard with leather. Little bit plumps. Tanins squeeze your tongue and whole mouth, but these are not wine tanins, but wooden tanins ... Stare Velier Demerara rumy je to nejlepsi, co v rumovem svete muzete ochutnat. Rumy zraly spise omylem nekolik let v tropech a nikdo obsah sudu nedoplnoval. Andelska dan byla 90% a vice, proto je chut obzvlaste plna a intenzivni. I kdyz se jedna o extra drahou zalezitost, doporucu alespon jednou v zivote ochutnat rum z teto serie.
Review by Johannes
Compared to the Skeldon 78, the 73 can absolutely keep up. The nose is almost even better than the 78, on the palate a certain bitterness, but not at all disturbing. Liquid story!
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
This is a true masterpiece of a rum. Almost impossible to find but lucky for me one of my suppliers had one tucked away. Tried it and virtually fell in love on the nose alone. A perfectly balanced rum with a nose delivering on the taste. If you find a bottle it will set you back pretty badly 😊
Review by Filip Šikula
Velier old demerara večer 17.9.2025 Řekl bych, že dneska nás čeká vrchol toho, co může rumový svět nabídnout. 1. RX5347 albion 1989 2. RX3502 uitvlugt SP-ICBU 1988 3. RX515 uitvlught ULR 1997 4. RX753 enmore ELCR 1995 5. RX867 skeldon SWR 1978 6. RX3001 skeldon SWR 1973 7. RX915 blairmont 1991 8. RX368 diamond SVW 1999 9. RX2729 port mourant PM 1993
Review by Adrianv
I have a chance to taste this rare rum finally. Nose is an masterpiece! Full of cherry, berries, oak, coffee, cocoa, caramel, molasses, very deep and intense! I spent an hour just snuffing:) Amazing nose. Barrel is present, age is dominant, but it is so complex on the nose! First sip. Wallnut, pepper, figs, coffee, chestnut. Wood is present. Quite bitter, but lovely way. There is intense concert of flavours, complex, deep. Barrel and biterness is dominant at the finish. Very unique rum in my opinion. Score is subjective - if you like wood and bitterness as i do, it is no brainer for you. Great but rare rum. Hard to find.
Review by ArminK
Dank an Egon für den Sampler. Eine Ehre in zu verkosten. In der Nase zuerst ein uraltes Holzfass mit dunkler Schokolade. Habe ihm gut 30 Minuten im Glas gegeben. Am Gaumen zuerst viel Holz aber nicht zu bitter. Gefolgt von einem leicht gesüsstem Espresso serviert in einem Lederbecher. Einige getrocknete Früchte. Er bleibt und bleibt und bleibt im Mund. Einfach herrlich.
Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 9.2/10. 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 Barrel Aged Thoughts
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Expert review by Who Rhum The World
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Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →A very unique tasting rum and very different to what we get nowadays. 32 years of ageing but not a year wasted. Sensational. If you are given the chance to try this then I would urge you do so. Rum rarely gets much better than this from Guyana. Will be...
Expert review by Rum Diaries Blog
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Details about Velier Skeldon SWR 1973
A Column Still Rum from Guyana, bottled by Velier, at 60,5%.
Community purchases
18 bottles logged by 14 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
11% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier Skeldon SWR 1973?
Community paid 140–17,000 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
18 purchased · 23 tasted · 28 wishlist · as of
About the Skeldon distillery
The Skeldon distillery is located in Guyana. Rums from Skeldon have been reviewed 855 times with an average of 8.9/10.
To Skeldon →You may also enjoy
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Velier Port Mourant PM 1974
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Velier Diamond S<W> 1981
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Velier Diamond <S> 1999
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Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
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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