Velier Shows Its Hand With 7 More Releases Of Nine Leaves' Unsun Karuta Finale Collection
As the story has been ceaselessly told, Nine Leaves remains one of the rum world's greatest losses when it was announced in 2023 that its founder, distiller and sole operator, Yoshiharu Takeuchi, was to no longer produce its singular and highly exciting Japanese rums. Founded in 2013, the Shiga Prefecture based micro-distillery was established and for the most part operated by just Takeuchi-san himself who had taken on rum-making as a hobby. His story is one of serendipity, immaculate focus and commitment, with then a strong sense of direction and determination as to the rums he had wanted to produce. As such, Nine Leaves, so named after Takeuchi-san's family crest which likened itself to the strength of the bamboo tree, had stood out from amongst the country's rum-makers who were largely congregated in Okinawa, and had largely produced rums as a by product of their black sugar-making.
Takeuchi-san's rums were artisanal and distinct, and made in incredibly small quantities only when he was able to make the drive down from his home in a neighbouring prefecture so that he could handle the entire distillation run himself, sleeping overnight at his little distillery before driving home the next day. It was always made clear that Takeuchi-san had hoped to establish a distillery that would persist well beyond himself, yet an unfortunate turn of events meant that his family's priorities would take precedence, resulting in Nine Leaves' subsequent closure. As a final act, Takeuchi-san would arrange for mainstay rum bottler Velier to acquire his remaining rums and have them bottled - this would be formed into the Unsun Karuta collection, so named after the traditional Japanese card game.
Thus far, two sets of releases have been produced by Velier, with now its third set, which would see the release of 7 expressions.
Here are their details:
Sota / Isu: Velier Nine Leaves 11 Year Old 2015, 1st Fill French Oak, 57% ABV
Japan, Black Sugar Rum, Virgin Oak Cask, 240 Bottles, LMDW Exclusive
Benefiting from eleven years of maturation in the distillery’s cellars, this single cask from the Unsun Karuta collection derives its richness from a four-day fermentation based on kokuto black sugar and meticulous pot still distillation. Aged entirely in a first-fill French oak cask, it shapes a profile of rare concentration. Heady, exotic, and infused with the influence of virgin oak, its aroma and flavour palette reveals honeyed notes and soft powdery nuances. Oscillating between honey and wild flower tones, it remains true to the distillery’s DNA, expressing all the singularity of black sugar with depth and purity.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour: Orange copper.
Aroma: Rich, full-bodied. Floral (mauve lilac, carnation), rancio-toned (apricot, cherry in eau-de-vie), spicy (candied ginger), honeyed (heather, linden blossom), and empyreumatic (apricot kernel, tar), the initial nose shines with complexity. With aeration, the aroma palette becomes liqueur-like and indulgent (black cane sugar, toffee, Paris-Brest pastry).
Taste: Lively, dynamic. Supported by lovely, mouthwatering bitterness (cinchona, orange zest), the flavour palette is powdery (cocoa), infused (black tea), candied (ginger), and rooty (gentian). Then, covered by a thin layer of salted butter caramel, dried apricots, mangoes, and dried bananas take over the entire palate.
Finish: Long, velvety. Tertiary (mushrooms, lichen, dry leaf) and at the same time tangy (citrus zest), it becomes, in turn, peppery/spicy (Espelette, paprika), infused (bay leaf), and smooth (quince jelly). Taking different paths, the retro-olfaction is chocolaty, licorice-toned (Zan), fibrous (sugar cane), sandy, and heady (iris concrete).
Rohai / Guru: Velier Nine Leaves 10 Year Old 2016, 2nd Fill French Oak, 57% ABV
Japan, Black Sugar Rum, Refill Cask, 240 Bottles, LMDW Exclusive
Aged for ten years, this single cask displays great purity. Concentrating all the mineral richness of kokuto black sugar following a four-day fermentation and distillation in a pot still, it derives its singular character from a precise maturation in second-fill French oak. At times evoking the finesse of a Lowland single malt, its aroma and flavour palette shines with a superb herbal and fruity freshness.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour: Green gold.
Aroma: Fresh, concentrated. Scents of ripe banana, rice pudding, green tea, white mint, aniseed, and yellow lemon first highlight the strong personality of the initial nose. With aeration, the aroma palette becomes spicy (black pepper, clove) while being enriched with new fruits (pear, pineapple).
Taste: Clean, lively. Simultaneously milky (coconut), lemony, herbaceous (cut hay), and licorice-toned, the flavour palette evolves toward increasingly indulgent registers (Calisson d’Aix, sweet brioche). Then, closely linked together, flavours of vanilla, mint, and Williams pear provide plenty of freshness and vigor to the finish.
Finish: Fine, invigorating. Long extending the fruity and mentholated character of the finish, it is gradually irrigated by cane sugar flavours that trickle down the walls of the palate. A model of balance and very mouthwatering, the retro-olfaction is infused (tea, sage), licorice-toned, vanillic, and saline (fleur de sel).
Eight / Pao: Velier Nine Leaves 9 Year Old 2017, Ex-Cognac Cask, 55% ABV
Japan, Black Sugar Rum, Small Batch Cognac Cask, 817 Bottles, LMDW Exclusive
Crafted from kokuto black sugar and distilled in a pot still following a four-day fermentation, this rum was aged for nine years at the distillery. A maturation in cognac casks leads it into autumnal and tertiary realms that encourage quiet contemplation. Its aroma and flavour palette rests upon a particularly subtle mineral depth. Deeply imbued with fruity, floral, and spicy notes, this expression evokes the refined profile of a Petite Champagne cognac.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour: Old gold with copper glints.
Aroma: Broad, complex. All in nuances, the aroma palette evolves from fruity (dried currant, apricot, orange) and floral (violet, lavender) scents into mineral (slate), camphorated, and medicinal (bandage, marmot balm) aromas. With aeration, all these tones assemble to diffuse a very pleasant feeling of fullness and harmony.
Taste: Rich, full-bodied. Particularly well showcased, the ageing in Cognac casks brings a tertiary (chocolate, chestnut, mushrooms, moss), juicy (ripe grape), and exotic (mango, persimmon) dimension. This immersion into the Charente universe is further heightened by the arrival, at the very end of the palate, of apricoted, roasted (coffee), and resinous (pine) flavours.
Finish: Balanced, noble. Tinctured with exoticism (passion fruit, banana), powdery (cocoa), and preciously oaky (oak stave), it is gradually coated by smooth cane sugar flavours and a few tender spices (ginger, cinnamon). On the retro-olfaction, pipe tobacco, chestnuts, and candy
Five / Kotsu: Velier Nine Leaves 9 Year Old 2017, Ex-White Wine Cask, 55% ABV
Japan, Black Sugar Rum, Small Batch White Wine Cask, 720 Bottles, LMDW Exclusive
This nine-year-old expression is distinguished by its superb complexity. Distilled in a pot still following a four-day fermentation, it showcases the mineral richness of kokuto black sugar from Taramajima Island (Okinawa). Ageing in white wine casks from California’s Wente Vineyards endows it with a refined, focused profile, where balance meets delicacy. Continuously building in concentration, its aroma and flavour palette evokes the refined character of a Grand Bas-Armagnac crafted from the folle blanche grape.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour: Orange copper.
Nose: Rich, deep. Fragrances of apricoted peach, burnt caramel, dried apricot, chestnut, dark chocolate, and Espelette pepper gradually occupy the olfactory landscape. With aeration, the aroma palette reveals scents of bitter orange, toasted walnut, roasted mango, tobacco, arnica, and precious wood worthy of the greatest rums.
Taste: Broad, delicate. Continuing the nose, the flavour palette is marked by intense flavours of black cane sugar. Then, it continues its journey across infused (linden blossom, bay leaf), heady (orange blossom), and saffron-toned lands. Candied (fig, date, chestnut), the very end of the palate is impressively smooth.
Finish: Silky, velvety. Abundantly revealing flavours of nutmeg, toffee, grated ginger, clove, cocoa bean, black cane sugar, blood orange, and polish (patinated old furniture), it in turn diffuses an infinite sense of fullness. Empyreumatic, mineral (tar), and medicinal (bandage), the retro-olfaction is a delicious concentrate of essential oils (sunflower, thyme, oregano).
Kiri / Pao: Velier Nine Leaves 9 Year Old 2017, Ex-White Wine Cask, 57% ABV
Japan, Black Sugar Rum, White Wine Cask, 240 Bottles, LMDW Exclusive
Distilled in a pot still following a four-day fermentation of kokuto black sugar, this expression was aged for nine years. Its maturation in a single former white wine cask from California’s Wente Vineyards endows it with a magnificent tawny hue with mahogany glints. Displaying great depth and fine richness, it reveals a full, perfectly poised structure. Both concentrated and indulgent, its aroma and flavour palette elegantly evokes the profile of a truly great bourbon.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour: Mahogany.
Aroma: Complex, deep. Revealing sublime aromas of rancio (apricot, cherry in eau-de-vie), marmalade, persimmon, leather, and more empyreumatic notes (burning Havana, wood varnish, incense), the initial nose proves particularly captivating. With aeration, the aroma palette adopts even more tertiary tones (dried fig, truffle) and impresses with its extreme finesse, richness, and high distinction.
Taste: Rich, full-bodied. At first, flavours of undergrowth (humus, dry leaf), exotic fruit pastes (mango, passion fruit, persimmon), and salted butter caramel compose a dense and coherent palate. It is gradually refreshed by the tangy juice of numerous citrus fruits (mandarin, orange). Then, grated ginger and a fine gentian liqueur coat the tastebuds with their mouthwatering bitterness.
Finish: Long, elegant. Initially oriental (Turkish delight, pistachio, rose petal), powdery (coffee), spicy (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg), chocolaty, and rooty (ginseng), it gradually becomes more and more empyreumatic (sandalwood, flambéed banana, incense) and terpenic (glowing lava). Highly concentrated, the dry extracts of the empty glass restore aromas of slightly burnt black cane sugar and Papier d’Arménie.
Nine / Oru: Velier Nine Leaves 10 Year Old 2016, Ex-Red Wine Cask, 55% ABV
Japan, Black Sugar Rum, Small Batch Red Wine Cask, 480 Bottles, LMDW Exclusive
Crafted using a local yeast strain, this Nine Leaves expression underwent a four-day fermentation. Its maturation in former red wine casks from California’s Wente Vineyards shapes a singular character, with an opalescent, yellow-tinted hue that evokes the delicate brilliance of a great white wine rather than a rum. On both the nose and palate, notes of lily of the valley, fine vanilla, ripe citrus, and exotic fruits compose a luminous, slender palette. The light, lingering finish extends a particularly refined sense of golden, floral freshness.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour: Golden yellow.
Aroma: Broad, fresh. Behind a fine fruity reduction (grape), the aroma palette opens onto deliciously vanillic, mineral (slate), liqueur-like (warm cane sugar), empyreumatic (eucalyptus), and lemony scents. With aeration, wrapped in heady fragrances (carnation, lily of the valley), exotic fruits (banana, pineapple) and white fruits (pear, peach) share the olfactory landscape.
Taste: Clean, straight. Drawing a vanillic, spicy (ginger), fruity (grape, fresh walnut), and sugary line all the way to the back of the palate, it exhibits extraordinary limpidity. On the aftertaste, peppermint, green licorice, and other more vegetal flavours (freshly cut sugar cane) occupy the taste space.
Finish: Spirited, delicate. Possessing plenty of lift, it is invigorated by the presence of citrus zests (lemon, grapefruit) and strong spices (clove, nutmeg). On the retro-olfaction, the oxidation-reduction reminiscences revealed by the initial nose resurface and conclude in style an alert tasting that proudly stamps the Nine Leaves signature.
Kaba / Guru: Velier Nine Leaves 2 Year Old 2024, Mizunara, 59% ABV
Japan, Black Sugar Rum, Mizunara Oak Cask, 240 Bottles, LMDW Exclusive
Drawn from the very last distillation carried out by Yoshiharu Takeuchi before the definitive closure of Nine Leaves, this two-year-old rum, matured in a mizunara oak cask, brings a close to a journey begun in 2013. Highlighted by delicate notes of kokuto black sugar, its aroma and flavour palette reveals remarkable maturity, evoking with striking precision the world of the finest single malts from Northern Scotland.
Official Tasting Notes
Colour: Deep golden yellow.
Aroma: Rich, complex. Powdery (rice), herbaceous (cut hay), spicy (clove, Cayenne), lemony, vanillic, and licorice-toned, the initial nose oscillates between power and freshness. With aeration, luminous and expanded, the aroma palette unfolds across liqueur-like (cane sugar), milky (coconut), fruity (pear, pineapple), and country-like (dandelion) scents.
Taste: Lively, slender. Saline (samphire), licorice-toned, and vanillic, the flavour palette is carried by intense flavours of sugar cane, roasted pineapple, and verbena. Herbaceous (green tea, rice paddy) and kitchen-garden-like (zucchini flower, cucumber), the finish forms an inexhaustible oasis of freshness.
Finish: Long, taut. Medicinal (Tiger Balm), empyreumatic (eucalyptus), and at the same time increasingly exotic (ripe banana, kaffir lime), it follows in perfect continuity with the finish. Infused (chamomile), licorice-toned (stick), and lemony, the retro-olfaction lets notes of barley sugar, aromatic plants (chives, lemon balm), and new oak express themselves fully.
Kanpai!
88 Bamboo Editorial Team
