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

Skeldon SWR 1978 Velier 27 Year Old

Lot: 8591

Skeldon SWR 1978 Velier 27 Year Old

Winning Bid: £6,000

Currency Estimate

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Lot:
Distillery: 
Uitvlugt
Age: 
27 year old
Vintage: 
1978
Region: 
Guyana
Bottler: 
Velier
Bottled Strength: 
60.4%
Bottle Size: 
70cl
Distillery Status: 
Closed
Production method: 
four-column savalle still
Base: 
guyana molasses
product Details

Skeldon SWR 1978 Velier 27 Year Old

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.

Velier's earliest Demerara releases were bottled in 1996, laying the groundwork for what would later become affectionately known as the "Age of Velier's Demerara." This began in earnest in 2004, after Gargano was invited to the Demerara Distillers Ltd warehouses in Guyana to select tropically aged barrels to be bottled by Velier for the first time. The "age" only lasted until 2015, but has an enduring legacy of having indelibly raised the profile of the historic rum stills and marque's of Guyana, which have become some of the most sought after in the world, these Velier releases in particular.

The Skeldon is a legendary bottle of rum, bottled in 2005.

The Skeldon plantation closed in 1960 and unlike some of the other distilleries being shuttered around this time, its stills did not survive. The production of the style associated with the distillery did however, at Uitvlugt. The distillery's four-column Savalle still is incredibly versatile, today producing nine different marques, of which the Skeldon "SWR" continues to be one.

Following the closure of Uitvlugt in 2000, its stills and barrels were transferred to Diamond distillery. Among them were the 3 barrels that contributed to this rum. These were discovered by Gargano, and having spent an incredible 27 years maturing in tropical weather, were bottled straight away for fear of any further evaporation, or as we like to call it, Angels' Share.

This is one of just 688 bottles.

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.