Nine Leaves 8 Years 2017 Single Cask Wente Red 70 cl. 60%

In late 2023—as he prepared to take over the management of the family business—Yoshiharu Takeuchi made the decision to close the rum distillery he had founded in 2013: Nine Leaves. Six months later, he transferred his entire stock of maturing casks to his Italian distributor, Velier, led by Luca Gargano, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading rum experts.

This expression was aged in a cask that previously held red wine from Wente, in California’s Livermore Valley. The result is an elegantly extroverted release: bright, radiant, and with an aromatic and flavour profile that occasionally steps into the realm of Scottish single malts—ultimately serving to highlight an intensely fruity and floral character.

Nose: Powerful yet voluptuous. Nobly woody (oak staves), spicy (clove) and powdery (cocoa). It gradually reveals vanilla, resinous nuances and a mellow honeyed tone (acacia) that adds extra smoothness. With air, heady flowers (honeysuckle) and fresh fig permeate the glass.

Colour: Topaz.

Palate: Lively and taut. Peppery and fruity (pear, mirabelle plum), with a glimpse of lightly burnt cane sugar. The generous opening develops into delicious notes of crème brûlée and rice pudding, alongside more mentholated accents.

Finish: Long and suave, evoking a Highland single malt in more ways than one—tropical (grilled pineapple, candied mango), herbaceous (fresh-cut hay) and gently creamy (coconut). Cane sugar and cane syrup then lead into a lush, opulent register. In the after-aroma, captivating geranium and apricot-tinged peach keep the tasting experience going seemingly without end.