Versailles Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 50 1990

Versailles in top form. Rich minerality and wood, licorice, subtle pepper aromas. Lush yellow fruit, oily sweetness and a hint of fresh citrus fruit and toast. The profile is impressively balanced in terms of both complexity and balance. Excellent.

I have to admit that during the premiere tasting of Ed. 49 and Ed. 50, the Jamaican simply picked me up more. But this is really not due to the poorer quality of the old Versailles, but rather to the flavor of this style in general, which doesn't appeal to me as the rum is too "bright" and too "spicy" overall. Specifically, I can taste aniseed and pepper here, only a little graphite. Fruit? No, not really. At least not at first. I only get a hint of light yellow fruit after more than an hour. A challenging rum, not easy to drink, whose strength for me clearly lies in the pronounced finish, it tingles so beautifully on the tongue. But due to its bulkiness, the rum also has something majestic and sublime about it - a worthy representative for the anniversary bottling. Congratulations, Spirit of Rum! Update 2025-02-15: 4 hours (!) of standing time have really done the rum good. The nose in particular would be hard to beat by other Versailles. In this respect, the 83 points I had previously awarded it were not entirely justified. Versailles is still not my favorite marque, but this rum is a big hit!

At first I was a little disappointed after the first sip. That's why I left it for a good hour and devoted myself to the cigar. It has developed nicely and actually delivers what you would expect after a while. But it requires a lot of attention, definitely not an easy sipper.

8,6:On the nose, citrus and minty notes are the first impression we get, as wood is roasted, spicy with vanilla and cinnamon. Molasses brings pencil shavings, but a feeling is fresh.Yellow fruits join citrus fruits to balance the rum. On aeration, nuts and confectionery, caramel join the party, metallic and dirty, mineral notes and glue. 8.7:On the palate, the attack is woody, a bit dull, with roasted notes like nuts, marzipan and spicy vanilla, cardamom, some saltiness. Pencil shavings still present, fruity notes are next in line with dried fruits like raisins, figs, yellow fruits and later lime. 8,3:The finish is a bit out of balance, dry and astringent with strong tannins, palate notes continue the journey, with pleasant bread notes, some bacon.. Edit:3.8.25, an upgrade 0.1

Tasted and sampled at HanseSpirit'25. It's great that Dirk chose a beautiful and old Versailles for this special 50th bottling. And I can well understand why... Nose: wonderful aroma, intense, elegant and totally round. Sweet and sour citrus fruit, gooseberry and physalis with plenty of pencil shavings and pencil lead. Almost has a freshness of lime and dishwashing liquid. There is also a fine, caramelized sweetness. Impressively harmonious, could sniff it forever. 9,0 Palate: concentrated and elegant, metallic-salty-bitter at the beginning, then turns bacony and burnt before the typical intense pencil shavings appear. There is also a hint of nutmeg and some of that nutty, bitter skin of roasted hazelnuts. This is followed by bacon and a fine marzipan sweetness. Pencil shavings far into the finish. A very fine drop. 9,0

Fair evaluation Village Nuremberg 2025. Beautiful mineral Versailles with pencil, burnt notes, licorice and salt. Very reduced, but also very good. Super rum that needs some attention when drinking.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the new bottling. I would have expected bitterness and a lot of wood due to its age. However, both on the nose and on the palate it is very elegant and rather fruity, pleasantly sweet, balanced, a hint of marzipan, nutty, yellow fruits and full-bodied, with a plum/raisin note, which is very subtle and even after the second glass I couldn't work out for myself whether it was plum or raisin. In any case, I like this note. The alcohol is sensationally integrated. An excellent bottling for me personally, if you have the opportunity, definitely try it.

Surprisingly unexpected when you drink the rum and have not read anything beforehand except that it comes from Guyana. Not the typical molasses notes and definitely no plum like the much-loved SWR or REV. It's almost slightly dirty, so that you could also think of Trinidad. Alcohol perfectly integrated, you can spend a long time with the rum which keeps changing (for the better).

Das wird nicht einfach! Nase: leicht, blumig, getrocknete Aprikose, im Hintergrund lauern aber schon Gewürze, die bestimmt am Gaumen deutlicher werden, ich nehme auch eine leicht dreckige Note wahr, möglicherweise habe ich einen T.D.L im Glas Gaumen: zuerst noch die getrockneten Aprikosen, die werden aber in kurzer Zeit von kräftigen dreckigen Noten abgelöst. Weiter medizinisch, Jod, Teer und kräftige Kräuter Alkohol ca. 55% Nachklang: langsam nachlassende Intensität, trocken, holzig, leicht bitter, Kräuter Ein sehr guter Rum, unglaublich intensiv am Gaumen aber ich bekomme ihn nicht eingeordnet - Caroni? T.D.L? Wenn man es dann weiß, sind die Bleistiftspäne auch deutlich zu erkennen.

Anfänglich ein eher scheuer Geselle benötigt dieser exquisite Tropfen mindestens eine halbe Stunde im Glas, bevor sich langsam - aber stetig - die beeindruckende Aromenpalette präsentiert. Die wirkliche Sternstunde dieses Rum ist meines Erachtens aber das Entern der Mundhöhle, wenn diese ölig und samtig weich mit wächsernem Wildblütenhonig ausgekleidet wird. Ein brillanter und hochgradig komplexer Versailles, Guyana-Traumstoff!

Chapeau, Spirit of Rum! Yummy 🤤 — this one delivers a generous dose of those lovely pencil-shaving notes… and not only on the nose, but also on the palate and the finish. The alcohol is very well integrated, and despite its 30+ years of aging, it’s neither too woody nor overly bitter/tannic. A beautifully balanced old rum.

Outstanding Guyana rum! Pencil, herbs, marzipan, yellow fruits, wood. Extraordinary complexity - you wander through worlds here. Long, beautiful finish. I wasn't so enthusiastic at the release party. Fortunately, I bought a bottle and drank it again in peace. You really have to take your time with this challenging rum, then it's really fun! Exactly my taste!

#6051 09.12.2025 Time to run a few samples after my Old St. Croix Christmas Calendar and another sweet rum behind door number 9. Nose Light wood, pencil shavings, faint polish, cinnamon, herbs, faint coffee, light ginger, plum, light citrus. Palate Oily, round, balanced, light wood, light roasted, light bitter, herbs, light ginger, light earthy, plum, spice, pencil shavings. Finish Very long and warm, wood, light coffee, cinnamon, light chocolate, light plum. Empty glass Cinnamon, light chocolate, tilght tobacco, pencil shavings, light prunes. Needs to rest for a good while to really open up.

Sehr schöner vielschichtiger Rum. Viel Trockenfrüchte (Dörrpflaume im Fokus), Holz, Gewürze und Nuss von Anfang bis Ende. In der Nase zudem etwas Klebstoff, im Gaumen gebrannter Zucker und bis in den Abgang Leder.

Sehr schöner Versailles, der da von den Jungs aus Berlin zum Jubiläum abgefüllt wurde. Bleistiftspähne, Klebstoff, Gewürze, mineralische Noten, gelbe Früchte in der Nase. Am Gaumen setzt sich das so fort. Hinzu kommt noch eine feine Marzipannote und feine Nussigkeit. Im langen Nachklang zusätzlich salzig, pfeffrig und Röstaromen. Ein toller Rum mit gut integriertem Alkohol, aber ich werde am Ende desbTages auch ein wenig anstrengend, da er die volle Aufmerksamkeit benötigt.