Caroni 1994/2026 Trinidad - Paradise #14 - Barrel #6133

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 53.3%

Special Features:

Paradise #14 comes from one of the last selected Caroni casks. This molasses rum was distilled in Trinidad in 1994 and bears cask number 6133. The cask was among 23 selected from the distillery's 136 remaining casks. Paradise #14 is the first bottling from cask 6133.

The rum's storage journey took it to Guyana in 2009 and onwards to the Cognac region in 2019. There, it was stored in glass demijohns. Unlike wooden casks, these glass vessels impart no further wood flavours. The rum is bottled at cask strength at 53.3% in a 0.7-litre bottle.

The presentation includes gift packaging and a label featuring a work by Trinidadian artist Che Lovelace. The glass bottle was free-blown by Massimo Lunardon in Italy. In this way, the Paradise range brings together preserved rum stocks and contemporary art from their country of origin.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The dense nose combines blood orange, strawberry, blueberry, apricot kernel, prune and passion fruit with chocolate and iris. Sandalwood, camphor and toffee accompany these impressions. Tar, diesel, the scent of Armenian incense paper and flambéed banana provide a striking counterpoint.
• Palate: The lively, distinctive opening is led by medicinal and petrol-like notes. The palate then softens, revealing banana, mango and pineapple. Chocolate, orange and apricot follow, together with heather honey, chestnut and prune.
• Finish: The substantial finish feels silky and fresh. Mineral hints of slate and lava meet powdery cocoa, ginger and salt. Red fruits return with a nuance of rose petals. Very dark chocolate, petrol notes and earthy impressions remain on the exhale.

Distillery/Bottler:

Caroni was closely linked to Trinidad's sugar industry. The economic decline of local sugar production also affected the supply of molasses for rum production. The distillery closed in 2002; the company Caroni Ltd was liquidated on 31 July 2003.

When Luca Gargano of Velier travelled to Trinidad for a photography project in 2004, he found extensive cask stocks in the abandoned warehouses, including vintages dating back to 1974. Subsequent Velier bottlings brought these preserved rums international recognition. La Maison & Velier's Paradise range preserves selected stocks in glass demijohns in the Cognac region, echoing the local tradition of cellars known as Paradis, where old spirits are kept.

Facts: