Hebridean Liqueur Company Caroni Ancient Mariner Navy Rum HTR 1995

A rare 1995 Caroni still available in England for a very good price. The nose is a silky mix of tropical fruit and rubber with a brown sugar/caramel edge. The palate is soft, with lots of fruit and little machine shop. A far cry from the 1997s, very close to the 1996s in fact, with a real balance of all the Caroni aromas. A rum with broad, deep aromas but with great drinkability thanks to a very fine integration of the alcohol. In the same vein as 2002's Gran Torino, but despite a higher ABV, the Gran Torino has a better integration of ink alcohol. I love it and recommend it!

02.03.2019 Enjoying some samples with a good friend. Colour Dark in colour. Nose Wood, lightly sweet, fruits, plum, light rubber, light raisin, faint medicinal, spice. Palate Round, wood, spicy, fruits, light plum, faint medical, light nutts, faint chocolate, faint rubber. Finish Long and warm, wood, light roasted, fruits, light chocolate, faint nutts, faint rubber.

This is a caroni that I appreciate very much for its accessibility, balance and depth.The palate is fat and vanilla, reminiscent of a custard. This is accompanied by a fine woody, smoky note, tobacco, rubber and a little tar. These last notes become fuller as the rum gets airier.

Complex yet so subtle. Beautiful nose that starts with leather, tobacco, tar and burnt rubber. Came back to it after 15 min and the tobacco notes were even more pronounced. On the palate, a bit of clove, then immediately felt the old leather and then almost an amaretto like wave that lasted. Finish was long and lingering. The ABV was perfect, not overpowering. Powerful complex sipper

Diesel, leather and tobacco… I love this one

Nice one. Rather more on the sweet side with nice depth and complexity.

A rare Navy rum that is hard to come by today. It is not a blend but a pure Trinidad Caroni. Very smooth and light rum which is almost a little drinkable due to the 54%. A good introduction to the world of Caronis but no comparison to the heavyweights from Velier.

Nose opens with leather, tobacco, rubber, tar, a touch of grime, and tropical fruits. Palate follows with bicycle tube, smoke, leather, tobacco, and fruit. Finish adds mint and menthol. ABV feels slightly low.

Gummi und Teer. Ein wirklich sehr gefälliger, sanfter Caroni. Mit mehr Watt wäre die Bewertung sicher höher ausgefallen. Aber trotzdem eine runde Sache, Anwärter für daily sipper auf hohem Niveau.

95 Caroni, almost a unicorn compared to the widespread and really strong 96 vintage. This Caroni is more on the sweet, fruity side and somehow almost a little weak, despite being 54%. Nevertheless, there's also plenty of dirt, rubber and some mint and menthol. Not a bad Caroni, but also a good piece of the (Velier) top!

Very classic and really balanced Caroni from 1995. Dirty, fruity, spicy and freshly herbal. Tar and rubber meet menthol, cocoa and citrus fruits as well as banana and pineapple. Overall very mild and balanced.

1995 Caroni. You don't find too many bottlings of this vintage. Alcohol is well integrated. Brings a relatively high level of sweetness. Fruity with subtle dirty notes. Round number, but there are certainly better ones

Fruit and round. Lovely rum slightly lacking some of the more industrial Caroni notes.

Blind tasting: my nose perceives caramel to burnt sugar, a slight sweetness and the typical Caroni aromas in the form of petroleum and burnt sugar. According to the nose, this is the younger generation of Caroni and probably not cask strength. The palate confirmed the last two speculations that it must be a diluted Caroni with slightly over 50% and medium age of ~15 years. The dilution was a tad too strong for my taste, the rum would definitely have benefited from less water. I'll go one step further and speculate on the 1998 vintage, as it reminds me of two Velier bottlings in particular. The finish is medium-long by Caroni standards, with pleasant barrel influences and a slight bitterness. A pretty good rum, but unfortunately below average by Caroni standards. It reminds me most of the Velier Caroni 1998 15yo with 52%. 83 points.