Caroni is a heavy-style rum made in Trinidad & Tobago. The distillery, which had been operating since 1918, was closed in 2002, which caused some of its large stocks to become available for independent bottlers. Bristol Spirits claims this cask (fully matured in charred barrels in the Caribbean) is among the oldest Trinidad rums ever bottled.

Caroni 34 yo 1974
(46%, Bristol Spirits 2009, 1500 btl.)

Nose: starts on those wonderful diesel- and tar-like aromas that you sometimes find in old rum. Baked apples. Burnt sugar. Sultanas. Grows more herbal and spicy (pepper, cinnamon) after a while. Some oak. Not immensely complex but quite intriguing. Mouth: again it reminds me of car workshops. More oak now, with a dryness and notes of liquorice. Definitely tarry. Quite herbal as well (cough syrup). Dried fruits in the background. Maybe some eucalyptus. Finish: long, dry, with the liquorice standing out. A faint rubbery hint in the very end. The dry glass shows lovely sultanas, more than while tasting it.

I find this quite amazing. By that I mean it’s uniquely disturbing (for someone used to whisky) rather than being immediately attractive. I can imagine some people will find this too weird as well. Around € 175. Thanks Jack.