Velier Royal Navy Very Old Rum Bottled 2017 - Luca Gargano 70cl / 57.18%

A bottle of Velier Royal Navy Very Old Rum, the oldest blend of British Caribbean rums of the 21st century.

This was created by Luca Gargano to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Velier. Following his motto 'In Pot Still Veritas', he selected barrels from the Caroni distillery, as well as Demerara and Jamaican rums, all distilled between 1990 and 2005.

The label reads:

The Blend

Trinidad: Caroni aged in the tropics for more than 20 years.

Guyana: Demerara aged in Europe for more than 15 years.

Jamaica: Pure single rums aged in the tropics for more than 12 years.

Weighted average age: 17.42 years

Rum has been associated with the Royal Navy since the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica in 1655. The availability of rum led the Navy to swap the daily ration of French brandy with Caribbean rum, which was issued to each sailor at midday. In the 1740s, Admiral Edward Vernon began the practice of diluting the rum with water to minimize the effect of alcohol on the crew, this mixture became known as ‘grog’. The daily rum ration, or ‘tot’, was served until 31 July 1970, a day now known as ‘Black Tot Day’. In modern times, a tot of rum is issued to naval crew to celebrate special occasions, such as royal weddings.

This Velier Royal Navy Very Old Rum sold at our online auction for £105