NINE LEAVES: A Legacy Reimagined
From the very beginning, Nine Leaves was never just a rum distillery — it was the personal pursuit of perfection by founder Yoshiharu Takeuchi. Every batch distilled in the foothills of Shiga, Japan, told the story of a man obsessed with detail, purity, and purpose.
In late 2023, after a decade of dedication, Takeuchi-san made the bittersweet decision to close Nine Leaves. While the reasons remain partly undisclosed, the heart of the story lives on — in the ageing casks he entrusted to La Maison & Velier (LM&V).
This exclusive first release by LM&V marks the beginning of a new chapter. Inspired by the traditional Japanese card game Unsun Karuta, each of the five bottlings unveils a card in a growing collection — a tribute to craft, culture, and quiet excellence. Future expressions will continue to emerge, each one revealing a new card and a new expression of the Nine Leaves spirit.
Welcome to the next hand. The game has only just begun.
NINE LEAVES 2017 Ex-Russian Oak Small Batch
Colour : Golden yellow.
Nose : Ample, smooth. Very fruity (mirabelle plum, pear, apple), medicinal (ointment, bandage), honeyed (acacia), and empyreumatic (burnt wood, incense), the aromatic profile is particularly radiant. On aeration, it evolves towards more vinous notes (muscat, petit manseng) and fibrous ones (sugarcane).
Palate : Lively, refined. The flavor profile is gradually covered by a pleasant herbal bitterness (cut hay, alfalfa). Remarkably fresh, it becomes both smoothly vanilla and saline over time.
Finish : Long, soft. Now resting on a chocolaty bitterness, the tasting transports you into the middle of a sugarcane field, while cane sugar spreads all around the palate. Dense, the retro-olfaction is vanilla-like, fibrous, liqueur-like, and rooty (ginseng).
$245.00Read more
NINE LEAVES 2017 Ex-Bourbon Small Batch
Colour : Copper.
Nose : Delicate, airy. Exotic (mango, persimmon), roasted, and praline notes are supported by scents of sandalwood and eucalyptus. On aeration, flowers (lily, freesia) infuse their heady aromas over delicate hints of cane sugar and marshmallow.
Palate : Straightforward, elegant. Initially, flavors of coconut, tangerine, apricot candy, and toffee blend together harmoniously. Then, the flavor profile shifts toward more vegetal tones (ripe sugarcane) and peppery notes (Sichuan pepper).
Finish : Long, refined. Continuing from the palate, cane honey gradually coats the taste buds. However, this sweet sensation is quickly balanced by more tangy flavors of lemon, orange, and apricot. A mix of vanilla and licorice, the retro-olfaction is tenderly vegetal (tobacco).
$235.00Read more
NINE LEAVES Last Drops
Colour : Colorless.
Nose : Rich, creamy. Highly concentrated, the aromatic palette reveals scents of honey, cane sugar, pink pepper, and apricot. This original opening extends into anise and menthol fragrances. The overall experience is then covered by a fine layer of licorice.
Palate : Lively, tense. Thunderous and dynamic, the flavor profile initially requires some taming. Gaining creaminess, it unveils flavors of fresh cane juice along with more citrusy and fermentative notes (brewing). Medicinal (bandage, mustard plaster), it gradually takes on a mustard-like quality.
Finish : Long, full of verve. Clearly approaching sugarcane and its fibrous character, the tasting continues into creamier notes (almond, hazelnut). In retro-olfaction, the resemblance to a very floral and herbal malted barley distillate is not just a figment of the imagination.
$140.00Read more
THE VISIONARY BEHIND
NINE LEAVES
After a career in the automotive industry, Takeuchi-san’s journey into rum began with a brief but transformative period of training under Ichiro Akuto, the renowned founder of the Chichibu whisky distillery. Inspired by Akuto-san’s artisanal approach to whisky-making, Takeuchi-san travelled to Scotland to commission bespoke stills from the legendary Forsyths, laying the technical foundation for his craft.
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Once the stills arrived in Japan, he assembled the distillery himself – a defining act of self-reliance that set the tone for everything that followed. For the next ten years, Takeuchi-san ran every part of Nine Leaves independently: fermenting, distilling, cask-filling, labelling, and bottling – entirely alone. Each drop of rum was a direct reflection of his unwavering commitment to precision and purity.
THE ESSENCE OF JAPANESE TERROIR
Tucked away in Ōtsu City, near the tranquil shores of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, Nine Leaves was shaped by its surroundings. The distillery drew water from a natural underground spring, prized for its exceptional softness and purity — a vital element contributing to the rum’s clean, elegant character. Combined with kokutō sugar from Okinawa, this unique terroir gave rise to a spirit unlike any other.
A LEGACY PRESERVED
At the end of 2023, after a decade of tireless dedication, Takeuchi-san made the difficult decision to close Nine Leaves. While the reasons remain partly unspoken, his legacy continues through a meaningful partnership: La Maison & Velier acquired the entire remaining stock — a rare collection of aged and white rums — ensuring the story of Nine Leaves would not simply end, but evolve.
OWN A PIECE OF RUM HISTORY
Introducing the Nine Leaves Last Drops series — the first chapter in this evolving legacy. Featuring five exclusive bottlings inspired by the traditional Japanese card game Unsun Karuta, each release unveils a new card and a unique expression of Nine Leaves rum.
This is more than a collection — it’s a tribute.
