Caroni 1996 Trinidad - Paradise #9 - Barrel #3785

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 68.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For Caroni Paradise #9, 23 years of tropical maturation in bourbon casks were followed by storage in glass. Distilled in 1996, the rum remained in Trinidad and Tobago until 2019 before being transferred to the Cognac region in damejeannes, large glass demijohns. This storage preserves the matured rum without further influence from wood. The rum comes from a single cask, number 3785, and was bottled in 2024 at 68.9%.

The Paradise range draws on the tradition of Cognac paradis cellars, where old spirits are kept until needed at a later date. Its bottles are mouth-blown by Italian glass artist Massimo Lunardon. The labels feature works by Trinidadian artist Che Lovelace; Paradise #9 bears Man Descending Stairs Carrying Wings (To Become a Blue Devil).

The fruity, honeyed nose contrasts with a distinctly more petroleum-like palate. This contrast is part of the bottling's character. The rum is offered without colouring or chill filtration in a 0.7-litre bottle with gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Apricot, candied pear and mirabelle plum meet medicinal hints of arnica and mineral impressions of slate and lava. With air, orris butter, liquorice, chocolate and heather honey emerge.
• Palate: On the palate, the rum is supple and lively, with petroleum-like notes. It becomes increasingly creamy and evokes cane sugar. Mushrooms, creosote and dried leaves then come to the fore.
• Finish: The long, silky finish displays intense notes of star anise, cinnamon and cloves, accompanied by liquorice and bacon. As the finish develops, Havana tobacco, petroleum and powdered ginger gain prominence. Dusty hints and fine woods, particularly rosewood, remain perceptible retronasally.

Distillery/Bottler:

Caroni was founded in 1918 and was owned for a time by British sugar company Tate & Lyle before the distillery was nationalised in the 1970s. It produced molasses-based rum and is now closed. After production ended, Velier and La Maison du Whisky acquired remaining stocks, which went on to provide the rum for the Paradise range, among others.

Velier was founded in Genoa in 1947. Under Luca Gargano, who took over the company in 1986, it developed its own bottlings alongside its import business. Caroni Paradise presents selected single-cask rums from the surviving stocks individually; their subsequent storage in glass demijohns sets this range apart from continued cask maturation.

Facts: