Habitation Velier 2005 Long Pond TECA 14-Year

This is an overproof (62%), high ester rum from the Long Pond distillery in Jamaica. TECA translates into 1200-1300 gr/hlpa. It has a very intense smell and taste, of eagle owl, turpentine, fruit mix (pineapple, papaya and also red berry fruits). Palate has heavy vibes due to the high ester alcohol and alcohol content. Very long finish/presence. This ester bomb should be reserved for very special moments when you are willing to have some kind of exploration into the extreme "borderzone" of the world of rums.

barva nádherná, tmavě hnědá
- vůně úžasná, hutná, top Jamajka, ovoce a čokoládové tóny
- chuť nasládlá, ostrá a přitom vyhrazená, hutná, ovoce a čokoláda
Nezkutečná pecka, u mne top 3!

Another high ester bomb from Velier. Tropical aged TECA mark, lets see.
Unbelieveable nose, comparable to WPE (same esters). But very sweet and intensive.
I get the caramel first and then a bunch of marzipan with bread. This combination is new for me. Then a lot of tropical fruits and sweet amarena cherries. In the background is bacon with wood.
Very unusual nose, I'm very excited and flashed.

The taste starts with caramel and wood, it's very sweet and dry all the time. Next aromas are leather, brown sugar and behind of this composition is bacon. The taste gets warm with leather, anise and some tannins. The warmer it gets, the leatherier the rum becomes, ingenious. I had not such an experience before, this is a masterpeace of a Long Pond rum.
At the end of the middle taste are also some cherries. This is a sour note between the sweetness and the dry mouth feel.
The finish starts with spice, some citrus and burnt sugar and ends with mint, leather, green apple and malt.
The aftertaste is very tasty with leather, mint, orange peels and oranges.

Profile: sweet, dry, complex, fruity, dark with amarena cherries, bacon

This rum is on another level. It's a high end Long Pond, crazy, rich and tasty. It's not comparable to other LPs like Plantation Extreme No4 for example, it has a different mark.
I would rate it with 95 point.

Nose: caramel, marzipan, toast, brown sugar, banana, papaya, amarena cherries, bacon, wood
Taste: caramel, wood, leather, brown sugar, bacon
Middle: leather, anise, orange peels, some tanins, intensive leather, cherries
Finish: spice, some citrus, burnt sugar, mint, leather, green apple, malt
Aftertaste: leather, mint, orange peels, orange, some cherries

Sweetness: 3.5/5
Fruits: 3/5
Spice: 3/5
Mildness: 2/5
Complexity: 4.5/5
Value (160€): 4.5/5

So this is a really challenging review. I am really a rum noob, so I found this sample very challenging. But this may be the most interesting spirit of any kind I've had to date.

On the nose there is rotting fruit, a funkiness, overripe persimmon, papaya, banana and strawberry.

The nose doesn't prepare you for the palate: incredible bitterness, salt, pepper, dry, chemical, and burnt meat. The sweetness of the nose is in there somewhere, but buried behind a wall of bitterness.

The finish is almond, walnut, wood with a medium finish. It actually ends faster then I would expect for the ABV and other strong flavours, but there is a lingering taste/smell left over from this rum.

Adding water you find a bit more of the pleasant elements. My wife tasted it and said "rotting fruit fire"; I don't think that's necessarily inaccurate. My best comparison to the whisky world is giving a new whisky drinker an Octomore or Laphroaig 10 CS.

I've rated this an 8 due to how incredibly interesting it is; perhaps I'd rate it higher in the future on my rum journey.

Edit: The next day this rum still lingers in the background on my palate (again, similar to some very smoky scotches I've had in the past). I think part of the magic of this rum is that I keep thinking about it. I think I want to try some other high ester rums, as these are very unique spirits (although I can't see myself drinking much more than a sample).

Aroma immediately after pouring in to the glass is harsh with acetone tones. BUT! After 10 minutes it develops to nice fruity wooden aroma. First taste is a bit burning but much less than you would expect from 62%. After appear intensive fruity tones (cherry, peach) and complex body. Aftertaste is a bit shorter and bitter, therefore -1point, othervise very good rum for experienced drinkers. Similar to Foursquere 2008.

I love Long Pond, Jamaican rums, big ester, pungent pot still rums and the "Habitation Velier" range in general. So what am I complaing for ? Well, I just find that the high-ester hype has gone too far now. When you reach 1000 or 1500g/hL of esters, or even more sometimes, it is just... undrinkable.

Like The other TECC and TECA marks Long Ponds, like some Hampdens I tasted, this particular one is just... too much. All the flavours are interesting and could have been great with a bit of measure but in thise case it does taste and smell like a rum concentrate. Too much acidity, too much esters, too much solvants, too much everything. Nothing is bad in itself, but just "too much".

If found "interesting" to taste it, like an experience, but honnestly, I have no pleasure to sniff and drink it.
It would have been great in a blend, maybe. As fa as I know these extreme "continental flavoured" rums have never been intended to be sipped neat.

Pierwszy tak wysoko estrowy rum jaki piłem ale ile przyjemności mi sprawił. Na nosie aromaty lakierowe mieszają się z jakby przejrzałymi owocami (banany, ananas, mango). W smaku już jest totalne szaleństwo! Zaczyna się słodko i rozgrzewająco z nutami owocowo-lakierowo-przyprawowymi. Cała maestria smaku w jednym momencie. Finisz utrzymuje się długo i kończy wytrawnie z lekką goryczką.
Szkoda że miałem tylko sampel 25ml, chociaż taki rum jest bardziej do wypicia właśnie takiej ilości. Na więcej nie pozwolą kubki smakowe sparaliżowane estrami i alkoholem.

Destilováno / Nalahvováno: 2005 / 2019
Estery: 1285,4 g/hlpa (TECA)
Andělská daň: 80%

Aroma: Ředidlo, v pozadí vanilka, ovoce
Chuť: Velmi trhne
Dozvuk: Velmi ovocný, banán, ananas, velmi dlouhý
Sladkost: 0/3
Vzorek #17 z RumFest Praha 2020
Edit 25.5.2021 (lahev): Vůně: aceton, odlakovač a doslova výbuch přezrálých banánů a ananasu. Štiplavá a přesto nádherná vůně. Chuť je ovocná, petrolejová a svíravá. V dozvuku dominují švestky, meruňky a další sušené ovoce. Je nesmírně šťavnatý a dlouhý.
Tento rum je těžký, hutný a komplexní. Neskutečné sladění ovocného a technického rázu. Jeden z mých topových rum zážitků, kdy mi při pití naskakuje husina.

This is clearly an insanely high level of esters, but the age and the rum itself are incredibly balanced for what it is. All the types of funk are in balance, the age softens but doesn't take away. Wonderful.

Opět další ze vzorků od kamarádů z rumové komunity Rum Friendly Club CZ/SK.
Ve vůni technika, ředidlo.
Chuť - jemná technika a sladkost ovce.
Výborný rum.