Review #759; Rum #193: Nine Leaves Encrypted 3

This is a rum from the one man distillery show Nine Leaves made by Yoshiharu Takeuchi. This rum, made from Jaggery, is distilled on a pot still and fermented for four days. This particular release but hass been aged in ex-PX barrels, ex-bourbon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and a secret barrel. These rums are then blended together and bottled with no additives. The rums were all between 1-3 years old when bottled. Let’s see how it turned out.

ABV: 58%

Nose: Cherry Cola, Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt, Pineapple (but toned back), Earthiness, Black Pepper, Raisins, Plums.

Palate: Medium Mouthfeel, Toasted Brown Sugar, Cherry, Earthiness, Blueberry, Sea Salt, Black Tea, nutmeg

Finish: Medium length finish, Earthy, Black Tea, Cherry, Blueberry, Toasted Brown Sugar, Sea Salt

Rating: 6/10

The barrels do the bulk of the lifting here but this is a very unique rum compared to a lot of the rums I have had. So many spices and dark savory notes ruin all the way throughout. The oak presence is surprising given the age but it doesn’t run to the sawdust notes of very young aged spirits and helps round it out. I look forward to trying more from this small distillery as they are doing some really interesting things.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect