Nine Leaves 2018 Armagnac Casks - Small Batch

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 59% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Armagnac-cask maturation defines this small batch from Nine Leaves. Distilled in 2018, the rum matured for seven years in three former Armagnac casks, each with a capacity of 300 litres. The rums matured in these casks were blended for this edition. The spirit is made from Kokuto, a Japanese dark whole cane sugar.

Despite its 59% alcohol content, the rum offers a delicate interplay of fruit, spice, fresh vegetal notes and floral impressions. The release comprises 923 bottles. The rum is neither chill-filtered nor coloured and comes in gift packaging.

The design draws on motifs from the Japanese card game Unsun Karuta. This edition is among the releases drawn from the stocks acquired by La Maison & Velier after the distillery closed.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose is delicate and airy. Juicy pineapple, clove and lemon lead initially. Floral aromas of sugarcane blossom, cane sugar and vanilla then emerge. Eucalyptus and a subtle incense note reminiscent of Armenian incense paper complete the picture.
• Palate: The rum is elegant and slender on the palate. Lemon and pear mingle with vegetal impressions of sugarcane fields, freshly cut hay and reeds. Cane sugar syrup gradually coats the palate gently.
• Finish: The delicate, lingering finish returns to fresh pineapple. Exhaling through the nose reveals acacia honey, menthol and lemon balm, evoking a herbal infusion.

Distillery/Bottler:

Yoshiharu Takeuchi operated Nine Leaves from 2013 to 2023 in the Japanese city of Otsu. He personally handled every stage, from fermenting the Kokuto whole cane sugar to labelling the bottles. After the distillery closed, La Maison & Velier acquired all the remaining stock and continued its legacy through limited releases.

Takeuchi’s work with Ichiro Akuto at Chichibu also helped shape the distillery’s technical approach. Following Akuto’s advice, he commissioned Forsyth’s in Rothes, Scotland, to build the stills. The first still, the wash still, is broad and squat, recalling Chichibu. By contrast, the slender spirit still used for the second distillation has a long swan neck and resembles Glenmorangie’s stills. Takeuchi thus combined rum production with equipment familiar from single malt production.

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