February 2025 Auction

Versailles VSG 1998 Velier 9 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 2014, 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.

A VSG marque, this was distilled in 1998 on the Versailles single wooden pot still in its brief years at Uitvlugt. It was bottled in 2007.

Uitvlugt, pronounced [eye-flut] was located on the west bank of the Demerara river near the Dutch-established town of the same name. The distillery was established at the end of the 18th century and remained Dutch-owned until the government in Guyana began to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974. Thereafter it became part of the portfolio of Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), who closed it down at the end of 1999. Uitvlugt originally operated double wooden pot stills, however these were replaced by a four column French Savalle still in the early 1920s. A double wooden pot still was reinstalled in the 1950s however, moved there from the closed Port Mourant distillery. This however was distilled on the Versailles single wooden pot still, moved to Uitvlugt from Enmore after its closure in 1993. It is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. The Versailles still remains in operation today as one of the “Heritage Stills” at Diamond, the last remaining rum producer in the country.

This is one of 278 bottles.

VSGB 2021 Releases 12 x 10cl

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.

• Caroni 1996 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Roopnarine 'Roop' 66.1% 10cl
• Caroni 1996 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Deodat 'Breeze' Manmohan 66.7% 10cl
• Caroni 1996 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Dhanraj 'Dan' Maharaj 66.3% 10cl
• Caroni 1996 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Mahesh 'Sonny Black' Bridgelal 64.6% 10cl
• Caroni 1996 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Ricky 'Dirty Harry' Seeharack 66.2% 10cl
• Mhoba 2017 Velier FAQ Plastic 64.3% 10cl
• Caroni 1996 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Employees United 66.6% 10cl
• Beenleigh 2006 Velier 15 Year Old 59% 10cl
• Beenleigh 2015 Velier 5 Year Old 59% 10cl
• Foursquare 14 Year Old Velier Sassafras 61% 10cl
• Hampden LROK 2016 The Younger 5 Year Old 47% 10cl
• Hampden LROK 2010 11 Year Old 47% 10cl

NOTE: This lot will include a four-bottle shipping-fee.

Velier Royal Navy Very Old Rum 1st Edition

'The oldest blend of British Caribbean rums of the 21st century.'

This is a Velier produced blend of rum from Trinidad, Guyana and Jamaica, including a 20 year old from the lost Caroni distillery. It has a 'weighted average age' of 17.42 years and was produced by Velier master blended Luca Gargano using vintages from between 1990 to 2005.

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 Royal Navy Very Old Rum 1st Edition

'The oldest blend of British Caribbean rums of the 21st century.'

This is a Velier produced blend of rum from Trinidad, Guyana and Jamaica, including a 20 year old from the lost Caroni distillery. It has a 'weighted average age' of 17.42 years and was produced by Velier master blended Luca Gargano using vintages from between 1990 to 2005.

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 Royal Navy Very Old Rum 1st Edition

'The oldest blend of British Caribbean rums of the 21st century.'

This is a Velier produced blend of rum from Trinidad, Guyana and Jamaica, including a 20 year old from the lost Caroni distillery. It has a 'weighted average age' of 17.42 years and was produced by Velier master blended Luca Gargano using vintages from between 1990 to 2005.

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 Royal Navy Very Old Rum 1st Edition

'The oldest blend of British Caribbean rums of the 21st century.'

This is a Velier produced blend of rum from Trinidad, Guyana and Jamaica, including a 20 year old from the lost Caroni distillery. It has a 'weighted average age' of 17.42 years and was produced by Velier master blended Luca Gargano using vintages from between 1990 to 2005.

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.

Tiger Shark Velier Royal Navy Very Old Rum 2nd Edition

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 was the highly anticipated second edition of Velier's Royal Navy Rum, created by Luca Gargano from a blend of three pure single rums from two nations within the 'British' West Indies.  Luca is playing his cards very close to his chest on the make up of the blend but the names Hampden, Long Pond, Port Mourant and even Caroni have all been churned out by the rumour mill.

Given the 100% pot still make up we can probably rule out Caroni but 100% tropically aged rum with an weighted average age of 14 years, blended by Luca Gargano? We're sure the spirit will more than speak for itself. 

Versailles REV 1994 The Rum Cask 29 Year Old 50cl / 10th Anniversary 

A single cask Demerara rum from the Versailles still at Enmore distillery in Guyana. This was distilled in 1994 and aged for 29 years before being bottled in 2023 by The Rum Cask.

The Enmore sugar estate was established by Edward Henry Porter in the early 19th century after he inherited and converted his father’s cotton plantation on the east bank of the Demerara river. Once one of many in the area, by the time the government in Guyana had begun to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974, it was one of only four remaining. The traditional still at Enmore was the historic two-column wooden coffey still, constructed back in 1880 and modelled almost exactly after the first continuous still patented by Aeneas Coffey in 1832. This however was distilled on the Versailles single wooden pot still, moved to Enmore from its eponymous distillery after its closure in 1974. It is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. Enmore was eventually closed by Demerara Distillers in 1994, and both stills were moved to Uitvlugt. Today they remain operational as the “Heritage Stills” at Diamond, the only remaining distillery in the country.

Vieux Vaval 2015 Velier 6 Year Old Single Cask / LMDW Singapore 15th Anniversary

Clairin is considered the national spirit of Haiti, and is an eaux-de-vie produced similarly to agricole rum, generally by a single local distiller using sugarcane from their village’s and adjoining fields. Largely secreted from the world for nearly 200 years, clairin was introduced to the world by Italian distributors, Velier, after Luca Gargano and Daniele Biondi discovered these distillers on at trip to Haiti in 2012.

The Arawaks distillery was founded by Danois Vaval in 1947 and is today run by his son, Fritz. It is located in Cavaillon and possesses 20 hectares of Madame Meuze sugarcane. It operates a continuous creole column still fitted with ten plates and a handmade condenser made from a gasoline can. The spirit is then bottled at its still strength of 50-55% ABV.

This was distilled in 2015 and aged for 6 years before bottled to celebrate the 15th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky in Singapore.

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.

Vieux Sajous 4 Year Old Velier First Release

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.

The very first release from Velier of a 4 year aged Clairin spirit. Traditionally this is an unaged spirit and is produced using sugarcane in Haiti. There are between 500 and 600 micro-distilleries in Haiti that produce Clarin. Vieux Sajous is the result of a blend of 12 barrels that have previously contained Single Malt Whisky or Rum.

The Chelo distillery was built by Michel Sajous in the Saint Michel de l'Attalaye region, just north of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. There he operates a small traditional pot still fitted with a six-plate column still neck. The 1000 litre boiler is direct fired using bagasse, and the spirit is bottled at its still strength of 50-52% ABV.

Vieux Sajous 2017 Velier 4 Year Old Lustau Oloroso Casks

A 4 year aged Clairin spirit. Traditionally this is an unaged spirit and is produced using sugarcane in Haiti. There are between 500 and 600 micro-distilleries in Haiti that produce Clarin. Vieux Sajous is the result of a blend of 12 barrels that have previously contained Single Malt Whisky or Rum.

The Chelo distillery was built by Michel Sajous in the Saint Michel de l'Attalaye region, just north of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. There he operates a small traditional pot still fitted with a six-plate column still neck. The 1000 litre boiler is direct fired using bagasse, and the spirit is bottled at its still strength of 50-57% ABV.

Vieux Sajous 2017 Velier 4 Year Old Second Release

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.

Thhi is second release from Velier of a 4 year aged Clairin spirit. Traditionally this is an unaged spirit and is produced using sugarcane in Haiti. There are between 500 and 600 micro-distilleries in Haiti that produce Clarin. Vieux Sajous is the result of a blend of 12 barrels that have previously contained Single Malt Whisky or Rum.

The Chelo distillery was built by Michel Sajous in the Saint Michel de l'Attalaye region, just north of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. There he operates a small traditional pot still fitted with a six-plate column still neck. The 1000 litre boiler is direct fired using bagasse, and the spirit is bottled at its still strength of 50-52% ABV.

Versailles MER 1994 Bellamy's Reserve 27 Year Old

The Enmore sugar estate was established by Edward Henry Porter in the early 19th century after he inherited and converted his father’s cotton plantation on the east bank of the Demerara river. Once one of many in the area, by the time the government in Guyana had begun to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974, it was one of only four remaining. The traditional still at Enmore was the historic two-column wooden coffey still, constructed back in 1880 and modelled almost exactly after the first continuous still patented by Aeneas Coffey in 1832. This however was distilled on the Versailles single wooden pot still, moved to Enmore from its eponymous distillery after its closure in 1974. It is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. Enmore was eventually closed by Demerara Distillers in 1994, and both stills were moved to Uitvlugt. Today they remain operational as the “Heritage Stills” at Diamond, the only remaining distillery in the country.

This was distilled in 1994 on the Versailles still at Enmore, this was filled into single cask #L2109 and bottled in 2021.

One of 137 bottles.

Valdespino Legend of Cuban Rum pre-1962

A pre-Fidel Castro rum, distilled in the early 1940s and matured at the bodega Valdespino, Spain, in old Oloroso Sherry casks.

Bottled by bodega proprietors, the Estevez family, on the recommendation of Miguel Valdespino himself.

Valdespino Legend of Cuban Rum pre-1962

A pre-Fidel Castro rum, distilled in the early 1940s and matured at the bodega Valdespino, Spain, in old Oloroso Sherry casks.

Bottled by bodega proprietors, the Estevez family, on the recommendation of Miguel Valdespino himself.

Versailles 1988 Moon Import Sherry Wood

Moon Import was founded by Pepi Mongiardino in 1980. Although primarily concerned with the distribution and bottling of single malt, the company has released some spectacular rum as well. While the new owners of companies like Samaroli and Silver Seal have placed a greater emphasis on rum in 21st century, Mongiardino was an early advocate of the spirit, particularly Demerara rum and the Moon Import catalogue routinely featured a number of what are now very special bottles. Always beautifully labelled, Pepi is acclaimed for designing the packaging for Moon Import bottles himself, often using images found in old books. These iconic designs, coupled with the quality of the liquid saw Moon Import steadily grow in popularity, and with the help of Intertrade founder, Nadi Fiori, they exported their first bottles to Japan in 2001.

This was distilled in 1988 and aged in ex-Sherry wood before being bottled in 2008.

The Enmore sugar estate was established by Edward Henry Porter in the early 19th century after he inherited and converted his father’s cotton plantation on the east bank of the Demerara river. Once one of many in the area, by the time the government in Guyana had begun to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974, it was one of only four remaining. The traditional still at Enmore was the historic two-column wooden coffey still, constructed back in 1880. Modelled almost exactly after the first continuous still patented by Aeneas Coffey in 1832, it is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. Enmore also received the a single wooden pot still when the Versailles distillery closed in 1978. When Enmore was shuttered in 1994, both of these were moved to Uitvlugt, and are now in operation as “Heritage Stills” at Diamond, the last remaining rum producer in the country.

The label is an homage to the Pepi Mongiardino-designed Half Moon series, the company's first ever releases.

One of 680 bottles.

Versailles REV 1994 The 1423 SBS Cask Strength

This is a pot-distilled Demerara rum from the Versailles still in its time at Enmore.

The Enmore sugar estate was established by Edward Henry Porter in the early 19th century after he inherited and converted his father’s cotton plantation on the east bank of the Demerara river. Once one of many in the area, by the time the government in Guyana had begun to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974, it was one of only four remaining. The traditional still at Enmore was the historic two-column wooden coffey still, constructed back in 1880 and modelled almost exactly after the first continuous still patented by Aeneas Coffey in 1832. This however was distilled on the Versailles single wooden pot still, moved to Enmore from its eponymous distillery after its closure in 1974. It is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. Enmore was eventually closed by Demerara Distillers in 1994, and both stills were moved to Uitvlugt. Today they remain operational as the “Heritage Stills” at Diamond, the only remaining distillery in the country.

Versailles REV 2006 The 1423 SBS Cask Strength

This is a pot-distilled Demerara rum from the Versailles still in its time at Diamond.

Established around 1670, the Diamond Estate is the only remaining rum distiller in Guyana. Located on the east bank of the Demerara river, the distillery is operated by Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), the company created by the government in Guyana as it attempted to consolidate the nation's rum production. This began in 1974 and culminated with the closure of Uitvlugt in 1999. Diamond blends its El Dorado brand using distillate from various combinations of its rum-producing stills, which include the pair of two-column English coffey stills, installed there in the 1950s and a rarely used high-ester John Dore pot still. These operate alongside the Heritage Stills acquired from Uitvlugt, which are Uitvlugt's own historic four-column French Savalle stills, the Versailles and Port Mourant wooden pot stills, and the Enmore wooden coffey still, the oldest and last of its kind in the world. El Dorado was launched in 1992, but the distillery has continued its historic practice of providing barrels to independent bottlers, resulting is a wealth of impressive releases like this.

Versailles REV 2006 Rom de Luxe 16 Year Old

Established around 1670, the Diamond Estate is the only remaining rum distiller in Guyana. Located on the east bank of the Demerara river, the distillery is operated by Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), the company created by the government in Guyana as it attempted to consolidate the nation’s rum production. This began in 1974 and culminated with the closure of Uitvlugt in 1999, which saw Guyana’s “Heritage Stills” moved from there to Diamond. This was distilled on the Versailles single wooden pot still. It is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. The Versailles and Port Mourant double wooden pot still are the last of their kind still in operation. The Versailles still is so-called as it started life at the distillery of the same name. The still dates from the 1890s, and operated at Versailles until its closure in 1978. From there it moved to Enmore, which closed in 1993, and then to Diamond via a brief stint at Uitvlugt as well.

This REV mark rum was bottled from a single cask at 16 years old by Rom de Luxe.

Versailles MEC 1988 Nobilis Rum 32 Year Old

This is an MEC marque rum from the Versailles still in its time at Enmore distillery. Distilled in 1988 and bottled at cask strength by Nobilis Rum at 32 years old.

The Enmore sugar estate was established by Edward Henry Porter in the early 19th century after he inherited and converted his father’s cotton plantation on the east bank of the Demerara river. Once one of many in the area, by the time the government in Guyana had begun to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974, it was one of only four remaining. The traditional still at Enmore was the historic two-column wooden coffey still, constructed back in 1880 and modelled almost exactly after the first continuous still patented by Aeneas Coffey in 1832. This however was distilled on the Versailles single wooden pot still, moved to Enmore from its eponymous distillery after its closure in 1974. It is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. Enmore was eventually closed by Demerara Distillers in 1994, and both stills were moved to Uitvlugt. Today they remain operational as the “Heritage Stills” at Diamond, the only remaining distillery in the country.

Versailles 1990 The Whisky Jury 32 Year Old

The Enmore sugar estate was established by Edward Henry Porter in the early 19th century after he inherited and converted his father’s cotton plantation on the east bank of the Demerara river. Once one of many in the area, by the time the government in Guyana had begun to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974, it was one of only four remaining. The traditional still at Enmore was the historic two-column wooden coffey still, constructed back in 1880. Modelled almost exactly after the first continuous still patented by Aeneas Coffey in 1832, it is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. Enmore also received the a single wooden pot still when the Versailles distillery closed in 1978. When Enmore was shuttered in 1994, both of these were moved to Uitvlugt, and are now in operation as “Heritage Stills” at Diamond, the last remaining rum producer in the country.

This was distilled in December 1990 and aged for 32 years in a single refill cask. It was bottled at cask strength in December 2022 by The Whisky Jury as part of the Many Faces of Rum series.

One of 214 bottles.

Valdespino Legend of Cuban Rum pre-1962

A pre-Fidel Castro rum, distilled in the early 1940s and matured at the bodega Valdespino, Spain, in old Oloroso Sherry casks.

Bottled by bodega proprietors, the Estevez family, on the recommendation of Miguel Valdespino himself.

Valdespino Legend of Cuban Rum pre-1962

A pre-Fidel Castro rum, distilled in the early 1940s and matured at the bodega Valdespino, Spain, in old Oloroso Sherry casks.

Bottled by bodega proprietors, the Estevez family, on the recommendation of Miguel Valdespino himself.

Venezuela Rum 2013 Uhuru XO Golden Rum / Batch 1

This is a Uhuru release of 2013 vintage Venezuela rum, aged 8 years.

Bottled by Young Spirits in Edinburgh and named after the Swahlii word for freedom,