September 2024 Auction

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.

Saint James 1885 Rhum Vieux

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 where this was produced 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 moved to a new distillery at Saint-Marie in 1974, funded by new owners, Cointreau. 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.Amongst rum enthusiasts there are few bottles so hallowed as this, a relic of a bygone age that exists today only through the strangest quirk of fate. 

Distilled in 1885 at Plantation des Saint James - prior to the advent of pasteurisation and stainless steel fermentation vessels - the juice had to be gently heated to 40°C prior to fermentation in open wooden containers. Saint James was fortunate in 1902 that its Trouvaillant location was well-sheltered from the eruption of Mount Pelée, mercifully buried under ash rather than anything more destructive. The distillery was quickly back in operation and the incredible stock that produced this bottle spared. Having said that, it is still only by luck that any exists today, unearthed in cellars in Amsterdam, Paris and London.

This bottle dates to around the 1930s or 1940s when the company was still run by François-Paulin Lambert's son, Ernest. The company was sold in 1955 by his widow following his death. It also predates the distillery's switch to distilling producing agricole rum, so will have been distilled in the old style from a molasses wash. 

Not only is this bottle one the great relics of rum and a true piece of liquid heritage, but reports from those lucky few who have sampled this sacred liquid - such as attendees of Luca Gargano's Rum Tasting of the Century - attest that it is also a sublime tot, with Cyril of DuRhum awarding it 93 points.

Skeldon SWR 1973 Velier 32 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 four 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 544 bottles.

Caroni 1985 Velier 20 Year Old Full Proof Heavy

Established in 1923 on the site of the sugar factory for which it was named, Caroni was a key ingredient of British Navy rations, where it's famous high ester 'Heavy' rums help to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, the Islands distillers became more and more dependent upon imported molasses, making distilling less and less economical. The writing then, was already on the wall when in 2001 the Trinidadian government sold a 49% share in the holding company to Angostura. Caroni was shuttered in 2002 and a behemoth of flavour was lost to the world.

Thankfully, in 2004, Luca Gargano discovered the ossuary of Caroni's warehouses filled of barrels of the legendary heavy rum quietly ageing. Since then we have seen a number of outstanding releases, proving increasingly popular with collectors and drinkers alike.

A 1985 vintage, this was aged 20 years, and is one of 125 bottles produced from a single cask.

Caroni 1996 Velier 22 Year Old Single Cask Heavy #3812 / Shinanoya & Bar Lamp

Established in 1923 on the site of the sugar factory for which it was named, Caroni was a key ingredient of British Navy rations, where it's famous high ester 'Heavy' rums help to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, the Islands distillers became more and more dependent upon imported molasses, making distilling less and less economical. The writing then, was already on the wall when in 2001 the Trinidadian government sold a 49% share in the holding company to Angostura. Caroni was shuttered in 2002 and a behemoth of flavour was lost to the world.

Thankfully, in 2004, Luca Gargano discovered the ossuary of Caroni's warehouses filled with barrels of the legendary heavy rum quietly ageing. Since then we have seen a number of outstanding releases, proving increasingly popular with collectors and drinkers alike.

One of a handful of single cask bottlings produced in in the latter half of the 2010s, this particular example was distilled in 1996 and matured 22 years prior to bottling in 2018 for Shinanoya and BAR LAMP. 

One of 210 bottles. 

Velier R.A.S.C. Jamaica Rum 1954 2nd 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.

This 2020 limited edition is the second release of the Royal Army Service Corps, a Jamaican pure single rum vatted from wicker-clad stone flagons of the British Royal Navy, filled in 1954. The first release was bottled in 2017 for the 70th anniversary of Velier, and consisted of nine flagons drawn from the private collections of Italian collector, Giuseppe Begnoni.

This release sees eighteen flagons vatted from both the collections of Luca Gargano and Giuseppe Begnoni. 

One of just 108 bottles.

Albion AW 1986 Velier 25 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,\" which 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. This 2000 release predates this and is from Velier's second batch of Guyana rum releases, which also included an Enmore and a rare La Bonne Intention marque from Uitvlugt. With the relationship between Velier and DDL strengthened after the 1996 releases, DDL offered to bottle these for Velier despite the cask being located in Europe already, outsourcing the job to their Dutch subsidiary, Breitenstein Produkten. These bottles represent a true milestone on the journey to the first of those legendary 2004 release.

Unlike some of the other distilleries being shuttered around this time, the Albion stills did not survive but the production of the style associated with the distillery did, at Uitvlugt. The distillery's four-column Savalle still is incredibly versatile, today producing nine different marques at Diamond, of which the Albion \"AN\" continues to be one.

Caroni 1996 Velier Single Cask Blended Paradise #1

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century. It became part of the Tate & Lyle firm in 1936, who used it as a base for expanding their eventually considerable sugar operations in Trinidad. Caroni was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations, where its famous high-ester 'Heavy' rums helped to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. Despite being self-sufficient in molasses, the newly established Caroni (1975) Ltd continued to lose money for the next 25 years until the government tried to minimise its ownership, selling off 49% of its share, just enough to retain control. Angostura were the preferred bidders, but a dispute over the value of Caroni’s warehoused stock scuppered the deal, and Caroni was closed for good in 2003.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

This was distilled in 1996 and aged in single cask #5552 before being bottled in 2022.

One of 213 bottles.

Caroni 1982 Velier 23 Year Old High Proof Heavy

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century. It became part of the Tate & Lyle firm in 1936, who used it as a base for expanding their eventually considerable sugar operations in Trinidad. Caroni was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations, where its famous high-ester 'Heavy' rums helped to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, the island’s remaining rum producers became increasingly dependent upon imported molasses, making distilling less economical. Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the Trinidadian government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. The newly established Caroni Ltd continued to lose money for the next 25 years until the government tried to minimise its ownership, selling off 49% of its share, just enough to retain control. Angostura were the preferred bidders, but a dispute over the value of Caroni’s warehoused stock scuppered the deal, and Caroni was closed for good in 2003.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

From the first releases in 2005, this is a 1982 vintage, aged 23 years. One of 1360 bottles produced from a stock of 8 barrels.

Rhum Rhum 2007 Velier / 70th Anniversary

PMG is the brainchild of Italian master grappa-distiller, Vittorio Capovilla. An agricole rum, it is produced on a bespoke Bain-Marie pot still specially designed by Capovilla and built and installed at Bielle distillery in Guadeloupe by Andreas Muller. The rum is bottled and distributed by legendary Italian company, Velier, who's CEO, Luca Gargano, assisted in selecting Bielle as the ideal location for the home of the Rhum Rhum brand.

Distilled in 2007, this was specially bottled by Vittorio Capovilla in 2017 for Velier's 70th anniversary. 

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 1994 Velier 23 Year Old Full Proof Heavy / Guyana Stock

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century. It became part of the Tate & Lyle firm in 1936, who used it as a base for expanding their eventually considerable sugar operations in Trinidad. Caroni was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations, where its famous high-ester 'Heavy' rums helped to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. Despite being self-sufficient in molasses, the newly established Caroni (1975) Ltd continued to lose money for the next 25 years until the government tried to minimise its ownership, selling off 49% of its share, just enough to retain control. Angostura were the preferred bidders, but a dispute over the value of Caroni’s warehoused stock scuppered the deal, and Caroni was closed for good in 2003.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

This is a \"double matured\" rum from the lost Trindadian distillery.

Distilled in 1994 and aged in its native Trinidad until 2008. The barrels were then transferred to DDL's Diamond distillery in Guyana where they were selected by Velier's Luca Gargano in 2017.

This is Velier's 37th Caroni release, and is one of just 600 free-blown bottles by Master Lunardon. At the time of bottling, this was the oldest tropically aged Caroni available.

Caroni 2000 Velier 17 Year Old Single Cask Heavy #R4002 / Eataly

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century. It became part of the Tate & Lyle firm in 1936, who used it as a base for expanding their eventually considerable sugar operations in Trinidad. Caroni was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations, where its famous high-ester 'Heavy' rums helped to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, the island’s remaining rum producers became increasingly dependent upon imported molasses, making distilling less economical. Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the Trinidadian government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. Despite being self-sufficient in molasses, the newly established Caroni Ltd continued to lose money for the next 25 years until the government tried to minimise its ownership, selling off 49% of its share, just enough to retain control. Angostura were the preferred bidders, but a dispute over the value of Caroni’s warehoused stock scuppered the deal, and Caroni was closed for good in 2003.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

Distilled in 2000 and aged 17 years before being bottled from single cask #R4002. One of only 242 bottles produced for Eataly.

Angel Share > 75%

J. Bally 1939 Rhum Vieux

The J. Bally brand is named after founder, Jacques Bally, who purchased the Lajus plantation in 1917 following its closure after the 1902 Mount Pelee eruption. After rebuilding the distillery virtually from scratch and acquiring the neighbouring Habitation Dariste, the equipment from which was incorporated into the restored Lajus, Jacques began to lay down spirt in 1924. Bally holds an important place in the history of French style rhum, and was one of the first to adopt the sophisticated principals of distillation and maturation that had long been established in Cognac. The distillery was eventually bought by Remy Cointreau, who closed it down in 1989. Production was then moved first to Le Simon distillery, and then to Saint James in 1998. It is produced there to this day by La Martinquaise who acquired Saint James and the J. Bally brand in 2003.

This is an incredibly rare 1939 vintage.

Neisson 1992 Armada

Jean and Adrien Neisson acquired their plantation in Le Carbet in 1922, building the distillery nine years later. It remains part of the family to this day, saved by Jean’s daughter Claudine, who quit her job as a hospital physian to run it after his death. Her son Gregory is now its master distiller. He produces its esteemed agricole rum on the distillery’s single-column Savalle still, constructed back in 1938.

This is a single cask rhum vieux agricole. Cask #1 was filled in 1992 and bottled here as part of the prestige Armada series.

One of 81 decanters.

Havana Club 7 Year Old C. Tangana Para Repartir

Havana Club is the biggest-selling Cuban rum brand in the world. Established by Spanish immigrant, Don Jose Arechabala, in 1878 after he bought a small distillery in the city of Cárdenas. The brand itself was introduced in 1934, its name deliberately anglicised to appeal to the newly re-opened post-Prohibition market in the US. Business was good, however in the aftermath of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro nationalised much of the country’s industry, seizing control of its rum companies in the process. Barred from exporting their version of Bacardi into most markets, the Cuban government chose instead to focus on Havana Club, which had previously had less of a global presence. The Cuban government’s rum production was reorganised under the state-controlled Cubaron SA in 1993, which promptly sold a 50% share of Havana Club to Pernod-Ricard. The deal involves Cubaron producing the product, and the French drinks giants promoting and distributing it, a move necessitated by Cuba’s struggle to break the brand into markets outside the former Soviet bloc in the latter 20th century. The success of the venture saw the partnership build a new distillery at San Jose de las Lajas in 2007. Ronera San Jose is the ageing and blending facility, and operates a two-column still to produce the low-proof aguardiente constituent of the Havana Club blends. These are vatted with the high-proof “destilado de caña” distilled at Cubaron’s Ronera Santa Cruz, which it opened in the 1970s. The Santa Cruz plant can also produce aguardiente, and all Havana Club production took place there prior to 2007. Cubaron still operate the original Cárdenas distillery too, but no Havana Club is made there now.

This is the classic 7 year old anejo rum, specially labelled in collaboration with Spanish musician C. Tangana. 

Appleton Estate 35 Year Old Ruby Anniversary Edition 75cl / US Import

An incredibly rare Appleton Estate rum which was produced to celebrate Master Blender Joy Spence’s 40 years with the distillery.

The Appleton Estate is the oldest sugar plantation and distillery in Jamaica. Its sugar fields cover 11,000 acres of the Nassau Valley, located in the Saint Elizabeth parish, and it has been in operation since 1749. The distillery was bought by J. Wray & Nephew in 1916, which as of 2012 became a subsidiary of global drinks giant, Gruppo Campari. It operates five double-retort pot stills alongside a column still, and generally produces single blended rums by vatting the two distillates. In 1997, Appleton Estate became the first distillery in the entire spirits industry to employ a female master blender, Joy Spence.

The Ruby Anniversary Edition is a blend of five Jamaica rums aged between 35 and 45 years. 

Upon its release, it was only available at the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Retail Rum Experience in Jamaica and select retailers in the United States.

One of just 500 bottles. 

Caroni 1996 Velier 20 Year Old Single Cask Heavy #R3718 / Stefano Cremaschi

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century. It became part of the Tate & Lyle firm in 1936, who used it as a base for expanding their eventually considerable sugar operations in Trinidad. Caroni was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations, where its famous high-ester 'Heavy' rums helped to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. Despite being self-sufficient in molasses, the newly established Caroni (1975) Ltd continued to lose money for the next 25 years until the government tried to minimise its ownership, selling off 49% of its share, just enough to retain control. Angostura were the preferred bidders, but a dispute over the value of Caroni’s warehoused stock scuppered the deal, and Caroni was closed for good in 2003.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

Aged in Trinidad for 20 years, this is a single cask bottling from barrel #R3718, specially selected by Stefano Cremaschi One of 270 bottles.

Appleton Estate Decades 60th Anniversary Jamaican Independence 75cl / US Import

The Appleton Estate is the oldest sugar plantation and distillery in Jamaica. Its sugar fields cover 11,000 acres of the Nassau Valley, located in the Saint Elizabeth parish, and it has been in operation since 1749. The distillery was bought by J. Wray & Nephew in 1916, which as of 2012 became a subsidiary of global drinks giant, Gruppo Campari. It operates five double-retort pot stills alongside a column still, and generally produces single blended rums by vatting the two distillates. In 1997, Appleton Estate became the first distillery in the entire spirits industry to employ a female master blender, Joy Spence.

This is a limited edition, produced by Appleton Estate to celebrate the 60 years of Jamaican independence 1962 to 2022 and was only available for purchase in Jamaica at the time of release. This special release contains rum distilled between 1962 and 2022.

One of 1,962 bottles.

Demerara Rum 24 Year Old Cadenhead's Green Label

Wm. Cadenhead may be Scotland’s oldest independent bottler Scotch, but its connections to the rum industry are just as lengthy. The company was founded in 1842 by George Duncan. His brother William Cadenhead joined the company in 1952, taking over after George’s death in 1958. William had a relation called Robert Cadenhead who owned a rum merchant business in Liverpool and London, and the two companies were amalgamated upon Robert's death. Wm. Cadenhead got into the whisky bottling business after 1904, when William's nephew Robert Duthie took over, and since its sale to J&A Mitchell in 1972, Wm. Cadenhead has become one of the most sought after names on the independent scene, and was one of the earliest brands to begin promoting single distillery bottlings of rum.

A 24 year old Demerara rum from Guyana, this was bottled as part of the Green Label series.

Bacardi Reserve 2015 Special Anniversary

Produced in Mexico, this was specially bottled for the 50th anniversary of Bacardi's operations on Bermuda.

The Bacardi Reserve was first blended in 1980 by Manuel J. Oliver, and remains part of the company's premium output to this day.

La Favorite 1984 Cuvee Speciale de la Flibuste

La Favorite is a small family-run distillery, the last in the Port-de-France area. The plantation was initially known as La Jambette, and was renamed in 1851 by new owner, Charles Henry. The distillery hit financial hardship in the latter part of the 19th century and was eventually so badly damaged by a hurricane that it was shut down for twenty years. It was re-opened by Henri Dormoy in 1905, and his family still run it today. The distillery produces between 600,000 and 1m litres of spirit each year. Very much a boutique operation, its equipment is steam-powered, and the bottles are all labelled and wax sealed by hand.

Distilled in 1984 from pure cane juice without any molasses and matured in oak casks.

Cuban Rum 1973 Kyoto Fine Wine and Spirits 49 Year Old / 15th Anniversary

This Cuban Rum was distilled in 1973 and was aged for 49 years in a single hogshead #2314303 before being bottled by independent bottlers and importers Kyoto Fine Wine and Spirits. 

Bottled in August 2023.

Caroni 1994 Velier 18 Year Old Full Proof Heavy

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century. It became part of the Tate & Lyle firm in 1936, who used it as a base for expanding their eventually considerable sugar operations in Trinidad. Caroni was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations, where its famous high-ester 'Heavy' rums helped to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. Despite being self-sufficient in molasses, the newly established Caroni (1975) Ltd continued to lose money for the next 25 years until the government tried to minimise its ownership, selling off 49% of its share, just enough to retain control. Angostura were the preferred bidders, but a dispute over the value of Caroni’s warehoused stock scuppered the deal, and Caroni was closed for good in 2003.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

This was distilled in 1994, then aged in Trinidad until 2008 and in Guyana until 2012 when it was bottled.

10 barrels produced 2633 bottles.

Diamond SVW 1996 Velier 15 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.

This was distilled in the Diamond twin-column metal coffey still in 1996 and bottled 2011. The five SVW barrels #7080-84,  were hand selected by Luca Gargano.

Established around 1670, the Diamond Estate is home to the only remaining rum distillery 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.

Bacardi 8 Year Old Millennium Baccarat Decanter 75cl

This limited edition, presented in an engraved Baccarat decanter was produced to celebrate the turn of the millennium in 2000. The rum was finished in ex-Sherry casks.

One of the largest family-owned drinks companies in the world, Bacardi can trace their history back to Santiago de Cuba in 1862. Facundo Bacardi Massó was a Spanish Wine Merchant hailing from Catalonia who began distilling rum upon his arrival in Cuba. At the time, rum was quickly and cheaply made and carried a low reputation. After ten years of experimentation, he constructed two different distilleries which would each produce a different style of spirit: Aguardiente, a robust style and Redestillado, a delicate style. The result was his ability to perfectly balance the two styles of spirit and launch the first clear (white) mixable rum in the world. He quickly saw success and began to grow his empire with the purchase of a third distillery. This new facility came along with a colony of fruit bats which became the inspiration for the Bacardi logo and is still in use today. Having moved their headquarters from Cuba to Nassau in opposition to General Batista's government in the 1950s, its Cuban assets were then seized by Fidel Castro in 1959 and its has never returned to its home country. Today the company is Bermuda-based, distilling most of its rum in Puerto Rico, however over the years has also operated facilities in Mexico, Brazil, Canada and Spain. After seven generations of growth, Bacardi’s portfolio of brands became extensive. After a 1993 merger with Martini & Rossi, deals were also struck with Dewar’s and Diageo for brands and distilleries in the Scotch whisky industry. Today, they are one of the most famous names in the history of rum and their wide range of products can be found in over 170 countries across the world.

Baccarat Crystal was founded in the commune of the same name in north-eastern France in 1764. The company was given permission to start the manufacture of window panes, mirrors and stemware by King Louis XV but it wasn't until 1816 when the first crystal oven was installed. For well over 250 years the company has become renowned for its high quality and craftsmanship.

Enmore 1977 Silver Seal 32 Year Old / Wildlife Series No. 1

Silver Seal was founded by Ernesto Mainardi in 2000. This was Mainardi's second bottling company after the esteemed Sestane in 1979. Both companies were sold to Massimo Righi, proprietor of Whisky Antique, in 2010. Since then the company has produced a steady stream of high quality rum to add to its sought after back-catalogue.

This is a Demerara rum from Enmore distillery in Guyana, bottled by Silver Seal for their Wildlife Series No.1.

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.

Dictador 1987 Mopa Mopa Sherry Cask Model A

The Destilería Colombiana was established in 1913 by Don Julio Arango y Parra and today it is still run by members of his family. The distillery’s flagship brand, Dictador, is named after Severo Arango y Ferro, nicknamed \"El Dictador,\" for the heavy hand with which oversaw trade between Spain and its colonies in the 18th century. Don Julio was one of his descendants. The distillery operates both copper pot stills as well as a stainless steel six-column continuous still, and uses a wash made from sugarcane “honey.” This is the product of the first stage in molasses production, which produces a syrup by boiling off the water from freshly pressed cane juice. This provides a lighter distillate than traditional molasses.

This was distilled in 1987 and aged in a Sherry cask, before being bottled in 2022. The bottle has been hand-decorated by Columbian artists using ancient traditional techniques. 

One of only 22 bottles. 

Silver Seal & Velier Box Set 2023 6 x 70cl

A very smartly presented collaboration between two giants of the bottling world, Silver Seal and Velier.

Silver Seal was founded by Ernesto Mainardi in 2000. This was Mainardi's second bottling company after the esteemed Sestane in 1979. Both companies were sold to Massimo Righi, proprietor of Whisky Antique, in 2010. Since then, the company has produced a steady stream of high quality rum to add to its sought after back-catalogue.

• Uitvlugt 1990 Silver Seal 31 Year Old 56.2% 70cl
• Foursquare 2002 Silver Seal 19 Year Old 56 % 70cl
• Diamond 2003 Silver Seal 18 Year Old 53.5% 70cl

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.

• Worthy Park WPL 2005 Velier 17 Year Old 54.8% 70cl
• Hampden C<>H 2010 Velier 12 Year Old 63% 70cl
• Vale Royal VRW 2005 Velier 17 Year Old 61.3% 70cl

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

Diamond and Versailles SVSG 1996 Velier 18 Year Old Blended in the Barrel

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.

This is one of a number of experimental Blended in the Barrel releases that were part of the final 2014 outturn. The reception to them encouraged DDL to distil and bottle these again, this time under their own El Dorado label in 2019.

Distilled 1996 and bottled July 2014, this contains rum from the Diamond two-column metal coffey stills, and the Versailles single wooden pot still in its brief years at Uitvlugt.

One of 570 bottles. 

Caroni 1985 Velier 21 Year Old Full Proof Heavy 

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century. It became part of the Tate & Lyle firm in 1936, who used it as a base for expanding their eventually considerable sugar operations in Trinidad. Caroni was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations, where its famous high-ester 'Heavy' rums helped to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. Despite being self-sufficient in molasses, the newly established Caroni (1975) Ltd continued to lose money for the next 25 years until the government tried to minimise its ownership, selling off 49% of its share, just enough to retain control. Angostura were the preferred bidders, but a dispute over the value of Caroni’s warehoused stock scuppered the deal, and Caroni was closed for good in 2003.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

From the 2006 releases, this is a 1985 vintage. One of 6600 bottles produced from a stock of 22 barrels.

WIRD 1986 Silver Seal 33 Year Old

A single cask Barbados rum from the West India Rum Distillery, labelled here as Black Rock after the area in which it is located. Bourbon barrel #2 yielded just 100 bottles.

The West India Rum Distillery, more commonly referred to by the acronym, WIRD, is a historic distillery in Barbados that has been producing rum since the 19th century. It currently operates four still sets, two of which are four-column stills. The newest of them is Canadian made, and the older one installed by English coppersmiths, John Dore, in 1975. The other two are pot stills, both connected to vintage rectifying columns, the oldest of which dates back to 1893. In the later 20th century the distillery was best known for its Cockspur rum brand, and in 1985 became one of the founding partners in National Rums of Jamaica, the holding company that owns Long Pond and a share of Clarendon. In 2017 however, Cockspur was sold off to a company called Woodland Radicle as WIRD was acquired by Maison Ferrand, a cognac producer established in 1989. The company had branched out into gin-making in 1995, and its purchase of WIRD completed its journey from independent rum bottler to distillers, following the introduction of its acclaimed Plantation Rum label in 2003.

Silver Seal was founded by Ernesto Mainardi in 2000. This was Mainardi's second bottling company after the esteemed Sestane in 1979. Both companies were sold to Massimo Righi, proprietor of Whisky Antique, in 2010. Since then the company has produced a steady stream of high-quality rum to add to its sought after back-catalogue.

One of 179 bottles.

Havana Club Maximo 50cl

Havana Club is the biggest-selling Cuban rum brand in the world. Established by Spanish immigrant, Don Jose Arechabala, in 1878 after he bought a small distillery in the city of Cárdenas. The brand itself was introduced in 1934, its name deliberately anglicised to appeal to the newly re-opened post-Prohibition market in the US. Business was good, however in the aftermath of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro nationalised much of the country’s industry, seizing control of its rum companies in the process. Barred from exporting their version of Bacardi into most markets, the Cuban government chose instead to focus on Havana Club, which had previously had less of a global presence. The Cuban government’s rum production was reorganised under the state-controlled Cubaron SA in 1993, which promptly sold a 50% share of Havana Club to Pernod-Ricard. The deal involves Cubaron producing the product, and the French drinks giants promoting and distributing it, a move necessitated by Cuba’s struggle to break the brand into markets outside the former Soviet bloc in the latter 20th century. The success of the venture saw the partnership build a new distillery at San Jose de las Lajas in 2007. Ronera San Jose is the ageing and blending facility, and operates a two-column still to produce the low-proof aguardiente constituent of the Havana Club blends. These are vatted with the high-proof “destilado de caña” distilled at Cubaron’s Ronera Santa Cruz, which it opened in the 1970s. The Santa Cruz plant can also produce aguardiente, and all Havana Club production took place there prior to 2007. Cubaron still operate the original Cárdenas distillery too, but no Havana Club is made there now.

This is an ultra-premium offering blended from some of the company's finest rums. Each comes in a numbered, hand-blown decanter by Paul Miller and has his signature etched into the stopper. 

NOTE: Due to the size and weight of this item, it will include a four bottle shipping fee.