How does this rum taste?
S.B.S Trinidad HTR (Caroni, 1997) stands out for its rubber, tar, and leather aromas that RumX members call "smoky-industrial notes" (@LukaŽiga) and "famous rubber/tar flavours" (@Vojta). There’s a notable interplay of dried fruit, roasted wood, vanilla, and coffee, often described as round and balanced. Some find its industrial grit softened by sweeter elements—think caramel, chocolate, and tropical fruit. Finish is long and dry, with echoes of leather, gummi, and spice, showing “super PLV for a Caroni” (@Serge) and a well-integrated strength at 64.4% ABV.
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About the Caroni distillery
The Caroni distillery is located in Trinidad. Rums from Caroni have been reviewed 8,858 times with an average of 8.8/10.
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With all five participants in the tasting evening on my Caroni terrace 😉 the clear winner, which really nobody had expected. We had placed it at the end of the SWR 1997 tasting program almost out of embarrassment and even somewhat bashfully. Embarrassed, because this rum has not particularly distinguished itself so far, certainly not in the Caronis league, but also not in general, how could it compete with the SWR heavyweights tasted before? With its three brothers from the neighboring barrels, it is merely a rock-solid entry into the Caroni world at an unbeatable price at the time. We had actually only chosen this rum as a kind of comparison rum to the Royal Navy from Velier, which we had drunk directly before, in order to find out how strong the Caroni notes in the Navy are. And then the bombshell! This rum easily outshone all the other rums of the evening. This creaminess, this balance, this smoothness despite its strength, simply wonderful! Can an evening of tasting together be more amazing and exciting? This inconspicuous Caroni is an excellent example of the exceptional status of almost all rums from this defunct distillery. If you want to enjoy Caroni at a very high level, but still at a comparatively moderate price, I can only advise you to buy at least a 4-bottle box of 1423 (S.B.S). Tip: Due to the bottle size (20 cl), the individual bottles are also very suitable for enjoyment when traveling.
The famous tasting of the S.B.S. single cask set. Cask # 53. A slightly recessed nose, the most neutral of the series. Marzipan, fruit and machine shop. The palate is full and strong, with a sensation of warmth. The finish is splendid, with little fruit but a strong Caroni character. On first tasting I found it too extreme, but in the end I like it best, the strongest personality of the four. When you think that it's the same year, maybe even the same month of distillation, that the casks have been kept in the same place. The difference between the barrels is remarkable! Super interesting!
La comparaison se fait entre les 4 Caronis Single Cask 1997 de chez SBS. Un Caroni plutôt complet et plaisant, le nez dévoile un panel intense sur le côté sale, médicinal et fumé, avec du cuir, des noix et des épices (vanille, poivre) qui appuient derrière. Le caramel, le toffee, le sucre brûlé et les fruits (secs et tropicaux) apportent leur lot de douceur. L’ensemble est très alléchant aux narines. L’attaque en bouche est d’abord un peu rustre, tournée vers l’alcool et des notes lourdes. L’hydrocarbure et la fumée prennent le pas avant que le milieu de bouche se porte sur un boisé épicé qui est bordé par le chocolat au lait. On distingue également le caramel avec une pointe de sel, des fruits secs et des épices douces (vanille). L’ensemble devient plus gouleyant, le degré d’alcool étant élevé. La finale est davantage tournée vers les arômes épicés, poivrés, pimentés et réglissés. Les notes empyreumatiques restent en place, suivies par le boisé, les noix, le cuir, le caramel et le chocolat au lait. Ce n’est pas le plus complexe des Caronis, mais il est sans doute un des plus engageants parmi ce Millésime méconnu et souvent mis de côté.
9:On the nose, the first impression we get are smoky-industrial notes with charred wood.There are rubber and tar, spicy cherry wood with caramel, burnt sugar and leather.Then the fruit wave comes with dried and tropical fruits. On aeration, the molasses is herbal, there are some solvents and menthol, perhaps almond.Very round and balanced inspite the complexity. 9:On the palate, the attack is triple with industrial, woody and fruity notes, as our tasting buds are invaded with the complexity of this very tasty, round, smooth and balanced rum.There are dried and bourbon yellow fruits, dirty industrial notes like rubber, tar, perhaps bicycle tube.The wood is dry, spicy and charred, smoky, leathery with nuts, chocolate, coffee, vanilla and umami, it continues with sweeter notes like caramel, marzipan, maple, citrus and red fruits...complemented with some menthol. 9:The finish is also smooth and round, tasty, actually delicious, most of the palate notes linger on, with a whiff of waxy bitterness..