Caroni 1996 Guyana Blended - Paradise #1

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 62.7% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Paradise #1 combines the tropical maturation of a Caroni rum with a subsequent resting period in glass. Distilled from molasses on Trinidad in 1996, the rum initially matured on its home island and later in Guyana at Demerara Distillers. In 2019, the contents of cask 5552 were transported to France’s Cognac region and transferred into dame-jeannes, large glass demijohns. These allowed the rum to remain in storage until bottling in 2022 without taking on any further wood influence.

The name Guyana refers to one stage of storage; the rum was distilled at Caroni on Trinidad. Here, Blended denotes the combination of different Caroni styles within a single-cask bottling. Paradise #1 opens the Paradise Collection from La Maison & Velier and displays a pronounced fruity and pastry-like side alongside its smoky, tarry accents.

The label features Resting Woman by Trinidadian artist Che Lovelace. His Caribbean-inspired paintings accompany the Paradise range. The rum is offered at 62.7% alcohol in a bottle containing 0.7 litres with gift packaging. It contains no colouring and is not chill-filtered.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Apple, mango and banana define the fruity nose, accompanied by Bourbon vanilla and creamy caramel. A little pepper and subtle smoke add further notes.
• Palate: The rum is full-bodied and layered on the palate. Apple notes are accompanied by caramel, with cherries, cream puffs, vanilla ice cream and oak adding to the flavours. Gentle smoke and a little tar are also discernible.
• Finish: The long, layered finish leaves lingering fruit and caramel pastry notes. Heavy aromatic tones remain present in the background.

Distillery/Bottler:

Caroni was closely connected to Trinidad’s sugar industry. The distillery had its own supply of molasses and initially belonged to the sugar company Tate & Lyle before being nationalised in the 1970s. Its heavy, ester-rich rums were also used in British navy rum blends. The decline of the local sugar industry brought distillery operations to an end in the early 2000s.

Velier was founded in Genoa in 1947 and developed into an important independent rum bottler under Luca Gargano. During a visit to Trinidad in 2004, Gargano discovered the remaining stocks of Caroni casks and subsequently acquired a portion of them. The resulting bottlings made different vintages and styles from the closed distillery available. By storing selected rums in glass demijohns, the Paradise Collection from La Maison & Velier draws on the tradition of keeping particularly old Cognacs in what is known as a Paradis.

Facts: