Caroni 1998 - 2021

Nose

Intense and characterful with dark molasses, ripe tropical fruit and dried fruits. Tar, diesel oil, toasted oak and tobacco follow, complemented by dark caramel and aromatic spices.

Palate

Rich and powerful with burnt sugar, dark caramel and ripe fruit, followed by cocoa, tobacco and robust spices. The typical oily and lightly smoky Caroni character adds considerable depth, while the mature oak remains remarkably well integrated.

Finish

Long, warming and layered with dark fruits, molasses and cocoa. Tar, tobacco, spices and mature oak linger for a long time, emphasising its classic Caroni character.

Caroni is one of the most legendary closed rum distilleries in the world. The distillery was established in 1923 on the site of the old Caroni sugar factory in Trinidad and was closely connected with the island’s extensive sugar cane industry. Caroni produced rum from molasses and became particularly known for powerful, heavy distillates with a highly distinctive character.

For decades, Caroni rum was mainly used for blends and bulk supply, leaving the name relatively unknown to the wider public. This changed after Caroni closed in 2003. When Luca Gargano of Italy’s Velier visited the abandoned distillery in 2004, he discovered substantial stocks of mature rum remaining in the warehouses. Part of this inventory was acquired and later released as extensively tropical aged Caroni.

These bottlings transformed Caroni into a cult name among rum enthusiasts. The so called Heavy Trinidad Rum in particular became famous for its powerful, oily style and distinctive earthy, smoky and tarry notes. Other independent bottlers also released surviving casks. With the distillery permanently gone and the original stocks steadily diminishing, every Caroni represents a fragment of Trinidad’s historic rum industry.