Caroni 2000 Trinidad - Paradise #11 - Barrel #4059

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 69.4% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

For Paradise #11, tropical cask maturation was followed by a deliberately different form of storage. Distilled in 2000, the Heavy Rum spent 19 years in Trinidad before being taken to Cognac in 2019. There, it was stored in damejeannes, large glass demijohns. This preserved its mature character without further extraction from the cask wood. After five years in glass, the rum from Barrel 4059 was bottled in 2024 at 69.4%. It is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

The name Paradise draws on the tradition of Paradis cellars, where old cognacs are kept until they are needed. The series combines selected Caroni stocks with distinctive presentation: Massimo Lunardon makes the hand-blown bottles in Italy, while the labels feature works by Trinidadian artist Che Lovelace. Paradise #11 bears his artwork The Gun. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose is concentrated and intense. Medicinal impressions of ointment and mustard seeds mingle with ash, terpene notes, and burnt and roasted aromas. A delicate mandarin note provides a fruity contrast. With air, charcoal and the scent of incense paper become more pronounced.
• Palate: The palate is taut and lively. Initially, petroleum-like impressions of oil and heating oil dominate almost entirely. Turkish delight and date and pistachio sweets gradually emerge. Lemon and grapefruit peel then bring freshness.
• Finish: The long, layered finish combines ripe banana and roasted pineapple with earthy notes reminiscent of oil deposits and the savoury impression of a hearty hare dish. Herbal notes of coriander and oregano gradually develop, accompanied by linden blossom honey and orange jam. Exhaling through the nose leaves a delicate impression of Havana cigar smoke.

Distillery/Bottler:

Caroni began operating in Trinidad in 1918. The distillery had its own sugar factory, securing its supply of local sugar cane. Its distinctive Heavy Rums were particularly important to its reputation. Bottlings under its own name were rare, so Caroni long remained known mainly to a small circle of enthusiasts. The government decided to close the distillery in 2002.

Stocks discovered in 2004, comprising hundreds of casks, opened a new chapter. Velier and La Maison du Whisky jointly acquired Caroni rum and made various vintages available as limited bottlings. The Paradise series continues this work with selected single casks. The remaining stocks were taken to Cognac in 2019 and transferred into glass demijohns to halt further wood maturation and preserve the individual cask characters.

Facts: