Caroni 2000 Trinidad - Paradise #5

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 67.5% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Paradise #5 combines tropical cask maturation with subsequent storage in glass. Distilled in 2000, the rum matured in Trinidad in single cask 4053. In April 2019, 23 casks were selected for the Paradise series from a remaining stock of 136. The selected rums were then taken to Cognac, where they rested in glass demijohns.

Caroni produced this molasses rum on a column still. Velier released it in 2023 as a Full Proof bottling at 67.5%, with an outturn of 223 bottles. The rum is neither chill-filtered nor coloured and comes in gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, turpentine and varnish notes meet cantaloupe melon and ripe banana. Lighter herbal notes then emerge, along with a trace of cigar smoke and a note reminiscent of sweet sarsaparilla soda.
• Palate: The rum feels oily and juicy on the palate. Slightly burnt caramel, a subtle charred note and flambéed banana appear initially. It quickly becomes a little drier, with wood tannins, vanilla and oak coming forward, accompanied by delicate cigar smoke.
• Finish: The long finish combines pronounced but not overpowering diesel notes with juicy red fruits and hawthorn berries. A light varnish note adds to the lingering flavours. With more time in the glass, the red fruits gain prominence relative to the oak tannins.

Distillery/Bottler:

Caroni was closely linked to Trinidad's sugar industry. The distillery belonged to Tate & Lyle from 1936 and was nationalised in the 1970s. Its heavy rums also helped shape the flavour of British naval rum rations. As the local sugar industry declined, the company faced increasing financial pressure; the distillery is now closed.

Velier played an important role in preserving and later releasing Caroni's stocks. Founded in Genoa in 1947, the company has been shaped by Luca Gargano since 1986. Gargano visited the closed distillery in 2004 and agreed to purchase part of its stocks the following year. As an independent bottler, Velier used these stocks for numerous Caroni releases; Paradise focuses on selected single casks.

Facts: