April Auction starts Friday 12 April. Bottle deadline 8 April.

Saint James 2004/2006 Velier 15 Year Old Magnum Series #1 1.5 Litre / Elliott Erwitt

Lot: 6032055

Saint James 2004/2006 Velier 15 Year Old Magnum Series #1 1.5 Litre / Elliott Erwitt

Winning Bid: £290

Currency Estimate

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Lot:
Distillery: 
Saint James Sainte-Marie
Age: 
15 Year Old
Vintage: 
2004/2006
Region: 
Martinique
Bottler: 
Official
Cask Type: 
N/A
Bottled Strength: 
45%
Bottle Size: 
1.5 Litre
Distillery Status: 
Operational
Production method: 
creole column still
Base: 
pure cane juice
product Details

Saint James 2004/2006 Velier 15 Year Old Magnum Series #1 1.5 Litre / Elliott Erwitt

The Saint James brand was founded in 1765 in Saint-Pierre by the alchemist priest, Edmund Lefébure, who had built a sugar mill and distillery on the Trouvaillant estate to raise funds for the Hospitaller order, Fathers for Charity. The order lost all of their possessions following the French revolution, and the estate on Martinique passed from the state into private hands. The most successful of these was François-Paulin Lambert, who took over the Saint James plantation in 1890 having worked at its distributor for many years. It was Lambert who patented the now iconic square bottle in 1882. His family ran the Saint-Pierre distillery until 1955, surviving both the devastating eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, and the rum market collapse following the first world war. The following two decades saw a period of transition for Saint James, which converted for the first time to the production of agricole rather than molasses-based rums, and in 1974, funded by new owners Cointreau, moved to the new distillery at Saint-Marie where this was produced. Today it is run by La Martinquaise (who bought it from Remy Cointreau in 2003) and is one of the largest rum producers on the island, operating six creole column stills to produce over 4 million litres of rum per year.

This rhum agricole was distilled in 2004/2006 and bottled by Velier in collaboration with La Maison du Whisky in 2021. The bottle features a photograph taken by Elliott Erwitt in 2005 in Rome, Italy.

Velier was founded by Casimir Chaix in Genoa in 1947 as a wine and spirits importer and distributor. By the 1980s they were still a small family-company with less than ten staff. This all changed in 1986 when it was purchased by Luca Gargano, a former brand ambassador for Saint James who was at the time still in his twenties. Under his direction, they selected their first single cask whiskies in 1992, and their first rum in 1996. In the decades that followed, Velier have gone on to become one of the most collectible brands in the industry, and Gargano has positioned them as the one of the foremost authorities and bottlers of rum anywhere in the world.

This lot will include a two bottle shipping fee.

Important Notice

We would recommend viewing/close inspection prior to placing any bids. If this is not an option and you have questions beyond the offered description and images, please contact us for a more in-depth condition report. Otherwise lots will be sold as seen in the images.

Please note: Due to the various ages of bottles and their seals, condition of liquid is at the buyer's discretion and no claim can be lodged against failure/leakage in transit.