Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Karukera Japoniani Rhum Vieux Agricole 2009
One taster called it "abgefahren" — a dense, heavy aged agricole where the sugarcane sits under layers of sour cherry, red grape, sherry and dark chocolate. Lots of warm spice: nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper. Woody and on the dry side, edging toward tannic and astringent for some. The 58.2% is folded in well. A few felt the finish turned slightly one-note, but most found it deeply balanced.
The community says- Well-integrated 58%
- Warm winter spice
- But: Tannic, astringent
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Karukera Japoniani Rhum Vieux Agricole 2009 taste?
Aggregated from 49 community reviews.
Dense, spicy aged agricole, dry and woody Widely liked as a rich, spice-forward aged Karukera with cherry, grape and oak. Very dry and tannic — one reviewer found it "sooo sour" and out of their range.
Fans of dry, spicy aged agricole with sherry-fruit depth
Beginners and anyone put off by dry, tannic spirits
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
24 of 49 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Velier Karukera Japoniani Rhum Vieux Agricole 2009 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.7 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 →
Community voices
What does the community say?
98% rate it 8 or higher. 22 selected write-ups from 49 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Dr.Django
Most helpful positive review
Die erste Verkostung ist 4 Jahre her, die Bewertung bleibt gleich. Ein hervorragender schwerer Rum mit Kaffee- und Schokoladrnaromen, untermalt von Sauerkitsche und Gewürzen. Herrlich! Vielen Dank @Tschusikowski
Review by Pavel Spacek
Most helpful mixed review
Sooo sour, sorry. The profile is definitely out of my scope
Review by Joachim Guger
Keksteig (erinnert an Neisson), Politur und Weichseln beim einen Schwenker. Pflanzliche Noten und Würze beim nächsten. Mandeln. Eine komplexe, vielschichtige Nase. Sehr schön. Kräftig. Im Mund packt er dann ordentlich zu. Warm, würzig, Keksteig und dann wärmt er aus dem Magen nochmal ordentlich rauf. 🔥🔥🔥 Super Agricole!!😊😊😊Vielen Dsnk nach Bonn für das tolle Sample!
Review by SaibotZtar
Delicious fruity spicy nose with red fruits nutmeg... Slightly peppery. On the palate very floral floral peppery ... some orange and red berries ... In the finish then somewhat bitter dry. For me, the taste doesn't quite deliver what the nose promises.
Review by LukaŽiga
8,5:On the nose, nutmeg, vanilla, banana and sugarcane bump into our nosetrils, with citrus fruits, notes from sherry barrel impact like chocolate, nuts. On aeration, the cane is vegetal, the fruits red, the barrel gives leather and burnt sugar. 8,7:On the palate, the attack is strongly influenced by syrupy sugarcane, mineral, grassy, herbaceous and earthy, later flowery, then sherry with leather, dried fruits, grapes and roasted notes like nuts, caramel, spices like cinnamon, vanilla.On oxidation, we notice yellow fruits, plums. 8,4:The finish is long, dry&tannic, furry, the cane is still mineral, grassy, earthy with tobacco, slightly dark with black tea, the banana is obvious, as roasted and spicy wood with certain notes. Edit:15.2.26
Review by mto75
Very nicely balanced on the nose with green notes, wood, allspice, apple and a little cherry liqueur. Nutmeg, cedar wood and coffee on the palate. Very good Karukera, and another top rum in the Japoniani series!
Review by TheRhumhoe
A fresh and very pleasant profile from Karukera with vegetal notes of sugarcane, but also beautiful woody notes, fruits (dried, red, grape) and sweet spices (vanilla, nutmeg) that go hand in hand with chocolate and toasty notes. The nose is balanced and complete. The attack on the palate tends towards a more agricultural, vegetal and herbaceous profile, on which the spices (cinnamon, pepper, chili) are quite lively. Toasty oak, dried and shelled fruits and caramel complete a dry, sharp but relatively complex profile. The alcohol is very well integrated. The finish is long, vegetal and languorous, with spices (vanilla, cinnamon, pepper), lightly toasted oak, dried fruit, sugarcane and molasses. The herbaceousness and tobacco are strong reminders of its agricultural dominance. An authentic, versatile rum that will delight lovers of full-bodied agricultural rums.
Review by Tschusikowsky
Einladende Nase, welche den agricole Charakter schnell erkennen lassen. Muskatnuss, rote und getrocknete gelbe Früchte, etwas von Sherry. Im Mund ist das Holz sehr präsent, dazu kommen viel pflanzliche Geschmäcker, etwas Pfeffer und kandierte Früchte. Frucht ist aber sekundär. Eher trocken, er hat aber dennoch eine gute Süsse. Kein Anfänger Rum aber sehr vielseitig und lecker.
Review by Thunderbird
A very good Agricole that is more on the spicy side. The higher ABV suits it very well
Review by Galli33
Typical agricole in the nose with roasted almonds, fruits, cherry, orange peal, red wine, spice and a dominant smell of oak. Mild and complex but delicious in mouth where you‘ll find all tastes from before. The Finish is medium long with tastes of cinnamon, wood, sugarcane, sour cherry and grass at the end 😜 Very pleasant to drink. This one needs some time to fully open. Alcohol could be integrated better. Nose: Sherry, red wine, agricole, barrel, oak, spicy, oak, nutmeg, roasted almonds, fruity, orange peal, red fruits, sour cherry, wine gum, sugarcane, chocolate Mouth: complex, mild, intense, delicious, agricole, fruity, sour cherry, plum, grapes, toffee, cinnamon, woody(oak) mocha, grass, sugarcane, tannins Finish: Medium long, sour cherry, grass, sugarcane, woody, cinnamon, coffee
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Another really good rum finished by Velier. The Agricole notes are there just more subtle than usual. On the other hand the fruit, spice and wood flourish on the profile with a hint of coffee and chocolate. I like the warmth on the palate that slowly dissipates and sets free the other notes.
Review by Skyfly
Sehr angenehmer Agricole mit einem ausgewogenen Verhältnis aus diversen Früchten, Gewürzen und Holz. Von Nase bis Abgang schmeckt man Aromen von Cognac was mir persönlich sehr gut gefällt. Alkohol erstklassig eingebunden
Review by Giorgio Garotti
A rum that really surprised me!
Review by Jussi Piirainen
I think this rum did sit in the glass for a good 40 minutes before the review. On the nose: Very spicy and barrel influence is clearly present. Toasted. Spices like nutmeg and little bit of cinnamon. Light sugarcane notes. Light citrus or citrus peel notes. Taste: Oh, quite a surprise. Nice complexity with woody, spicy, light fruity and light citrus notes. Light sugarcane notes. The abv is integrated very nicely. Finish: Woody. Spicy notes like cinnamon and allspice. Roasted . Light sugarcane notes. Medium-long finish. From my "Aged agricole rhums" today, this is my favorite. Nice complexity around notes and it still had little bit of that sugarcane and agricole note in it.
Review by Mentalo
Im direkten Vergleich mit Karukera Japoniani. RX6221 ist Relativ bitter, Holz, Röstnoten, etwas Gewürz, bisschen kandierte Früchte. Finde den jetzt nicht schlecht, aber der Japoniani ist ein anderes Level. Deutlich mehr Gewürznoten, etwas nussig, grasig, schöne Holznoten. Alkohol gut integriert. Beide Rums eher trocken. Insgesamt Jsponiani viel besser ausbalanciert und komplexer.
Review by Leo Krüper
Toller schwerer Rum. Hat alles was Ich mir wünsche. Vielleicht im Abgang etwas zu eindimensional, sonst hätte es eine 90 oder mehr gegeben. Aber ansonsten zum reinknien.
Review by Jakob
Very successful Karukera, which the alcohol strength does good. Wood, spice and mild sweetness complemented by heavy fruit notes - well balanced.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Abgefahrener alter Agricole von Karukera. Unfassbar dicht, schwer, ölig und konzentriert. An der Nase reife Sauerkirsche, Rosine und etwas Sherry, sowie dunkle Schokolade und rote Trauben mit viel winterlichen Gewürzen. Am Gaumen dann adstringierend nach Kirschen und Trauben, scharfem würzigem Zimt, frischem Zuckerrohr und etwas Rosenwasser. Im Abgang dann Tabak, Nougat und schwarzer Pfeffer und wieder etwas Kirsche und Zimt. Der Alkohol ist gut integriert und der Abgang ist überraschend lange. Sehr schöne Abfüllung!
Review by Frank
First association on the nose: red wine! Dark grapes, tannins from the barrel. Fruity and spicy with sour cherry and redcurrant. In contrast, leathery and dry wood with a hint of nutmeg. Cherry in the foreground on the palate, but this time more sweet cherry. But also has something of the dark red wine again. The dry sugar cane flavor comes through Still cherry on the finish, but with a distinctly grassy sugar cane flavor. The alcohol is very well integrated. Cattle and tasty rum.
Review by Santo
Orange marmalade, lots of red fruit with a touch of sherry, cherry and grape among others. Spicy pepper nutmeg cinnamon coffee and dark chocolate complete the picture. Very woody with lots of tannins, almost too astringent.
Review by French_Rhumeur
Un beau rhum ! Il mérite du temps pour s’ouvrir et une 2e dégustation.
Review by Michal Jurka
Sugar cane, wood, spice, vanilla, cinnamon, dried fruit, apples, orange zest, light red wine. Can't really compare to any other Karukera's as I have tasted only a handful so far, but this one I like, however it is the weakest from the Japoniani series for me.
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Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 8.5/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Préférence Rhum
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Expert review by Tasting Bro's
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Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
What a great rum. I really liked the berry aroma. The wood notes are very good. The alcohol is also very well integrated.
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 138 € – 185 €
from 3 sales, latest 04/2026
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 194 €
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 Karukera Japoniani Rhum Vieux Agricole 2009
A Column Still Rum from Guadeloupe, bottled by Velier, at 58,2%.
Community purchases
35 bottles logged by 29 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
8% opened, 2 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Velier Karukera Japoniani Rhum Vieux Agricole 2009?
Community paid 155–290 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
35 purchased · 49 tasted · 21 wishlist · as of
About the Karukera distillery
The Karukera distillery is located in Guadeloupe. Rums from Karukera have been reviewed 1,050 times with an average of 8.0/10.
To Karukera →Read on in the RumX Guide
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Savanna Collection Grand Arôme Port Cask Blend LMDW 2004
Savanna Collection Grand Arôme Port Cask Blend LMDW 2004Tart, fruity Savanna with a heavy port stamp
Velier Montebello Basseterre 1995
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Habitation Velier MHOBA 2017
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Velier Bielle Rhum Rhum Libération Integrale 2020
Velier Bielle Rhum Rhum Libération Integrale 2020Dry, woody aged agricole, less fruit than before
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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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