Habitation Velier 2015 Forsyths WP 151 Proof Single Jamaica White Rum – 75.5%
Stats: Independent bottling from La Maison and Velier’s Habitation Velier line from a few years back. They released a WP 502 at 57%, as well as this bottling, which I presume is the same liquid, also boasting congener levels of 502 gr/Laa, but this one will whack you upside the head at an explosive 151 proof or 75.5% ABV. It is Worthy Park juice made on their Forsyths double retort pot still following a three month fermentation using estate molasses and is (presumably) unaged. The back of the bottle states, “Don’t drink neat, only use in cocktails.”
Conditions: Enjoyed neat in a Stemcairn over the course of two sessions, allowing plenty of time to open up. A few squirts of water were added after a while’s rest on the second visit. I did not use this in a cocktail for the sake of this review.
Nose: Graham cracker, savory marinated meats, olive brine, leather, seaweed. With water: milk chocolate, underripe banana, papaya, apricot, green olives, pie crust.
Mouth: A whirlwind of flavors ambush the taste receptors and catapult off the tongue like pop rocks. An eruption of heat rises up the esophagus after the liquid hits the chest. Olives, baking spices, marinated meats, umami, pie crust, powdered sugar, nail polish remover. With water: more sweetness presents itself. Fresh cane juice. Indistinct fruitiness. Bitter grapefruit and orange peel. It remains viciously hot. Long, lingering graham crackers and salty jerky remains.
Final Thoughts: At strength, this is fiercely hot and fairly unidimensional. It took a bit of water to make this palatable. The briny/savory profile is more reminiscent of a Clairin than your typical fruity, high ester Jamaican funk and it’s not as balanced as Worthy Park’s Rum-Bar Overproof. Was a cool experiment but not a bottle I often think to reach for as I’ve had it for several years now and have barely made a dent in it.
I feel like I made a daiquiri with this once, perhaps at Dawn Davies’ behest, and found it a bit too assertive.
My Rating: 2/5
My Scale:
1 – I don’t want this in my mouth ever again
2 – Underwhelming
3 – Decent tipple
4 – Very enjoyable
5 – I always want a bottle of this on my shelf
Austin Rum Society 