Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Diamond S<W> SW 1981
Dark chocolate, leather and pineapple sit over a "noble" oak that, after 31 years of tropical aging, edges into real bitterness. This is column-still Diamond from Velier — rich, spiced with pepper and cinnamon, and complex enough that new flavors keep surfacing. Many find it needs a drop of water to open. Loved, but several tasters still rate the younger Diamonds higher.
The community says- Deeply complex
- Rich chocolate-leather
- Well integrated 60%
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Diamond S<W> SW 1981 taste?
Aggregated from 54 community reviews.
Old, complex Demerara with woody bitterness A rare, deeply complex old Demerara. Most call it a privilege to taste, though the tropical-aged bitterness and heavy wood keep some from top marks — and several prefer the younger Diamonds.
Fans of old tropical-aged Demerara who don't mind bitterness
Anyone put off by heavy oak and bitter notes
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
22 of 54 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Velier Diamond S<W> SW 1981 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.2 sits in the “Excellent” band. 100% 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?
100% rate it 8 or higher. 24 selected write-ups from 54 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Jakob
Einmal mehr im Glas - und ich muss mich korrigieren, zwar ist das Holz präsent, das aber komplett im eleganten Rahmen. Die Bitterkeit anderer vergleichbar labg gelagerter Rums fehlt, was angesichts von 31 Jahren tropischer Reifung (per se schon äusserst extrem) absolut ungewöhnlich ist. Dazu geballte Diamond-Power - ein Spitzenrum unter den Velier Diamond.
Review by Giorgio Garotti
I have to say that for this rum I expected an absolute top level... instead, I appreciate the Diamonds with less aging more! Probably the years in the barrel gave it a more bitter side compared to its younger siblings! But the quality is still high!
Review by Aussierumfan
A stunning rum that is a privilege to taste in today's age! In fact this is the oldest vintage demerara I have tried to date. You can smell its tropical old age, musty, tobacco and wood which i enjoy! On the palate it's very complex and balanced, I'm getting more leather, but with some dark chocolate, a lot wood, and is a bit bitter which is slightly jarring. If you like old demeraras you will be in your happy place with this! I must say though, as much as I enjoy this, I still rate the younger diamonds better, I really appreciated the 1999 diamond and I think it's better than this one. High praise though, this is still a ripping rum.
Review by Pavel Spacek
... 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 Maxence
A perfect round rum in my opinion. Some yellow fruits like pineapple, mango or citrus add more depth, balance and complexity to the profile compared to other round Demeraras like Uitvlugt, Blairmont or some 1996 Caroni like #5542. A genuine masterclass 🥰
Review by TheRhumhoe
A god among Olympian rums. Despite the ageing process, this Diamond has retained many aromas and must clearly have bonnified over time. The nose is full of gourmet aromas of Demerara sugar, spices, a noble woodiness that is not overpowering, exotic fruits and tobacco. Hazelnut, glue, mocha coffee, chocolate and notes of toffee plunge us into a very balanced, complex and seductive universe. The attack on the palate is remarkably supple. Very spicy (pepper, licorice, anise, cinnamon, vanilla, aromatic herbs), dark (dark chocolate, roasted hazelnut, coffee, tobacco, leather and roasted notes) and both fruity (exotic and dried fruits) and gourmand (crème au caramel), the palate offers an impressive taste festival that awakens the senses. The alcohol is very well integrated, the flavors very pleasant, the depth and complexity present. The wood has not overpowered the flavors. This is clearly a great rum. The finish is very long, with bitterness, dark chocolate, warm spice notes, coffee, leather, hazelnut and tobacco. Tropical fruits (pineapple, coconut) take a back seat. An extraordinary rum that deserves a place in the pantheon, both for its quality and its unfortunate speculation.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
We had a wonderful pure Diamond tasting yesterday and what a tasting. This one was the piece de resistance and we all found the it needed a bit of water to call hither all the flavours. Without water it came on like something was missing. A very rare and extremely expensive bottle.
Review by SaibotZtar
Ein Traum von Diamond... Super leckere Herrlich komplexe Nase ... Fruchtig Honig ... fast schon Cremig in der Nase 😅😅... Milchschokolade etwas Leder und Tabak . Am Gaumen Cremig 😛😛... Ananas Papaya leicht Pfeffrig Zimt Vanille etwas Kaffee und nasses Holzfass . Geiler Scheiß!!!! Alkohol Top Eingebunden.
Review by Mike H.
I’m very happy to have sampled one of my many unicorns. There are a lot of flavors present in this rum, the nose and mouth are excellent. But there is a bitterness that is a little deranging. This is a very high end rum that isn’t worth what one would have to pay for a bottle today though.
Review by zabo
Edit: nochmal dank Armin beim Franconian Tasting Gang Treffen verkostet und meine Meinung geändert und nach oben korrigiert. Im Grunde genommen nicht schlecht, aber leider auch nicht, das was ich mir erhofft habe. An meine Spitzengruppe der Velier Demeraras kommt er nicht ganz ran, aber viel hat nicht gefehlt. Schönes Ding trotzdem.
Review by Oliver
Wahnsinns Rum. Geht Richtung Albion-Profil.
Review by Leo Krüper
Sehr bitter und holzig. Erinnert mich an alte REVs. Hintenraus wird der Rum sehr rund und süßlich. Aber vorne stören mich die starken Lakritznoten zu Höchstbewertungen.
Review by Serge
Nach mehreren Jahren des Stöberns habe ich – aus preislicher Sicht leider – feststellen müssen, dass mir das tropische Demerara Column Profil mit Abstand am Meisten zusagt. Klar, dass ich auf diesen Rum gespannt war. Ich empfinde diesen Rum als sehr Schokolade lastig mit Pfeffer-, Zimt- und Piment-Noten über dem Profil aus Vanille, Eiche/Fass, Kaffee, Trockenfrüchten, Kokos und Karamell. Auch Ananas ist dabei. Starker Rum, sehr lecker, Spitzenliga … dennoch bleibt er für mich hinter dem 96 FP zurück, der für mich zum perfekten Zeitpunkt abgefüllt wurde und das Diamond-Profil (noch) perfekter und reiner glänzen lässt. Aber wir sind hier - nur um eine der Jahreszeit gemäße Analogie zu verwenden - eindeutich schon an der Himmelspforte 😇
Review by Fuwi
Was ein Brett! Die ganzen Jahrzehnte im Fass und wahnsinnige 97% Angelshare haben zu einem der besten Demerara geführt, die ich bisher probieren durfte! Erwartet hatte ich schweren, bitteren und holzigen Charakter der völlig over the top ist - und wurde komplett eines besseren belehrt. Er riecht schon nach den erwartbaren Noten, aber viel weicher, charmanter und runder eingebettet in dunkle Früchte, cremige Schokolade und gebrannten Zucker. Ich lasse ihn eine halbe Stunde atmen bevor ich den ersten Tropfen probiere und warte dann noch mal 15 Minuten. Dann tauche ich ein in eine fassbetonte Welt voller Kaffee, Toffee und Vanille, dunkle kandierte Früchte mit gebranntem Zucker und leicht bittere Anklängen, dazu passt der Piment und andere Gewürz-Eindrücke sehr hervorragend. Im Abgang sehr lang und ausdauernd, wechselt er leicht den Charakter zwischen kräftigem Fass und dunklen Früchten. Wahnsinn!
Review by Jarek
Franconian Tasting Gang trifft sich bei Rumurmel, April 2026 (Danke für den Einlass in die Rum-Schatzkammer. Was für eine coole Location!). Ja, dem merkt man die sehr lange Zeit im Fass unter tropischen Bedingungen an. Die lmfeine Bitterkeit steht dem Rum aber sehr gut.
Review by ArminK
Da werde ich die Flasche wohl doch öffnen. Zuerst den Sample. In der Nase eigentlich unspektakulär leichte Süße mit Frucht und Holz. Am Gaumen kommt aber viel mehr. Alkohol ist top eingebunden. Vanille, Schokolade, Holz und Leder mit Trockenfrüchten. Passt alles perfekt zusammen. Schöner weicher Abgang.
Review by Anders Bovien
So sweet mouth feel and many claim to woody I absolutely not agree I love the balance and palate that keeps flowing with herbs and sweet fruits in the back mouth
Review by Mopar Rules
Column still demerara, so indeed more on the caroni side. Well balanced, complex, rich, but lighter and a shorter finish than the PMs or Enmores. A very nice rum, but compared to the 1996 Diamond Veliers not as good and even more expensive.
Review by Buddudharma
Toller alter Diamond, trotz des hohen Alters nicht zu holzig. Ein Privileg, Rums wie diesen probieren zu können. Danke an Armin für das Sample.
Review by Adrianv
Complex and charismatic rum! One can taste its age - bit bitter, woody, complex, pepper, anise, cinnamon, great Diamond from Velier indeed.
Review by RumRhush
C’est très gourmand tout ça belle concentration Final interminable très boisé (Quand même l’impression au bout d’une heure d’avoir mangé une planche de bois mais j’imagine que ça fait parti de l’expérience) un rhum de compétition
Review by Bob the Drunker
Fantastic rum for sure, tried diamond 1996 SSN and diamond svw 1999 before this, this adds a bit more complexities from the woody influence in a nice way, and that’s the difference to earn one more point from me
Review by Thomsen
Så mange lag at for hver nip til glasset kommer der nye smage frem, fremragende!
Review by GigiMartini
Bevuto da un sample riempito a metà quasi 4 anni fa. Faccio questa premessa solo per sottolineare la possibilità che questo campione sia evoluto perdendo le note più sgradevoli che altri vi hanno trovato. Assaggiato solo in purezza, senza diluizione, l'ho trovato molto equilibrato. Piuttosto gentile sia al naso che al palato, finale lungo ma non lunghissimo. Non molto complesso, ma sempre gradevole. Dopo oltre un'ora nel bicchiere, ha avuto una evoluzione piuttosto contenuta. E tuttavia, gli aromi sono piacevoli in tutta la degustazione, nessuna nota eccessivamente amara. Il legno è percepibile, e tuttavia mai sgradevole.
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Expert reviews
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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Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 1578 € – 3683 €
from 8 sales, latest 06/2026
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 2073 €
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 Diamond S<W> SW 1981
A rum from Guyana, bottled by Velier, at 60,1%.
How do you read a Diamond bottle? The RumX guide →
Community purchases
46 bottles logged by 36 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
13% opened, 3 emptied and repurchased.
What does Velier Diamond S<W> SW 1981 cost?
Community paid 350–2,404 €.
Current best price: 3195.00 € – above the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
46 purchased · 55 tasted · 35 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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Velier Uitvlugt UF30E UF30E 1985Rich, evolving old Demerara with a long finish
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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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