Velier Caroni 33th Release High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR

"Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Round 98 Caroni with pleasant sweetness and thanks to the somewhat lower alcohol strength almost an easy sipping rum - as far as one can speak of it with Caroni. In direct comparison with the other Velier Caroni releases in the lower midfield on the way, which is still enough for a very good rating without effort - and once again highlights the almost unique quality of these rums."

"Goûté au restaurant et la bouteille est bien entamée. Un très beau nez où les fruits tropicaux viennent en premier. Avec aussi un nez de bourbon, de cuir et de sucre brun avec un petit peu de goudron. En bouche ce sont les fruits qui explosent avec l’alcool en soutient. Presque pas de notes sales en bouche, étonnant ! La finale est longue avec un peu d’amertume, toujours beaucoup de fruits et un fumé persistant. Le verre vide offre beaucoup de fruits avec quelques notes d’atelier mécanique. Edit: regoûté à l’aveugle dans le calendrier de l’Avent RumX, jour 24 et même si je ne l’ai pas reconnu, je confirme ma note."

"This Caroni has a quite classic profile from 1998 vintage with famous garage notes, dried fruits and wood on the nose. But, it offers some surprising salty notes on the palate. A really good surprise !"

"Excellent, very drinkable Caroni. A little more focus on dried fruit, which I personally like very much. Enough burning tires. Anyone else have a bottle?"

"Very nice Caroni at a perfect drinking strength. Great nose, but on the palate it falls a little."

"A very nice Caroni from Velier. A bit of fruit with the typical rubber notes from nose to finish. There is a hint of caramel in there as well with the herbs, tobacco and spice. A nice long finish with som nuttyness to it. Try and nose the glass after a few hours, lovely Caroni rubber and tar notes."

"A rather mellow, round and gourmet Caroni. The nose delivers some typical dirty notes of tar and rubber, with the caramel, burnt sugar and toffee found on lighter profiles in the background. Wood, spices (vanilla, pepper), chocolate, nuts and dried fruit form a dangerously attractive whole. Leather, tobacco and smoky notes add a little character so as not to overindulge. A classic but effective profile. On the palate, it's a soft, discreet Caroni that comes through with its sweet, caramelized notes. Spices accompany this sweetness with a warmth, followed by wood, leather, espresso coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of tobacco that lend a little bitterness. The sweet-sour-bitter triptych isn't the most complex, but it gives a nice balance on the palate. Terpenic and fruity flavors are more subdued. The alcohol is well integrated. The finish is fairly long, with more roasted, smoky, spicy and bitter aromas. Chocolate, coffee, leather, wood and spice are more present, while sweet caramel comes later, but still sensually. Softness is the order of the day on this conventional Caroni profile, easy to drink but lacking a little extravagance."

"Very balanced on the nose, especially dark dried fruits, roasted aromas, vanilla and a little Caroniwerkstatt. Confirmation on the palate, this seems to be a Caroni. Quite full-bodied and alcoholic. Very dry and quite bitter towards the finish. Rated just "very good" due to the bitterness Alcohol ~63% I don't have enough experience with Caroni to name a specific bottling. ----- I was way too high with the alcohol content. But I almost thought so, as I ate a crispy kebab today and the micro-injuries caused by the "sharp-edged" flatbread on my gums make the rum seem sharper than it is."

"RumX Advent Calendar 2024 Day 24: On Christmas Eve there will be the Caroni ;-). Also has the typical Caroni notes such as rubber and tar on the nose, as well as some tobacco. Then also rubber and tar on the palate, as well as smoky and spicy. Successful."

"Rum X Advent calendar post-tasting, door 24 ... Also tastes good with a little more late-January sunshine and is immediately recognizable as Caroni. Sweet-nutty-fruity-dirty 98 nose. Compared to other vintages not a high flyer but still strong against most continental ones of the vintage. Finish rather not so long"

"RumXmas 24/24 From the start it’s clear that it’s Caroni territory today. Not even gonna bother to try and define a specific bottle and just enjoy it. All components are present in great harmony. Alcohol is very well integrated. It has to be said that it’s “only 55%” which is relatively modest in Caroni terms. Two years ago I tasted this for the first time and scored it 9.2. I can still understand why. I’ve had others that I’ve rated higher. But that’s not what this is about today. I’ll leave the mark how it was. I feel it still deserves it. And it’s not like I’m in the mood to compare it to something else directly right now. Much gratitude to the RumX team for the overall quality of the Advent Calendar. It’s beyond 👏"

"... Caroni is a distillery from Trinidad, producing at the time of its greatest glory rum, which was added at a ratio of 1:10 to the naval blend. It was too strong and strange to be pleasant on the tongue. In 2000, the distillery ceased production and closed. Only in 2010 did tasters appear who took a liking to the rum because of its special taste. And the interest grew. Caroni belongs to the category of "you need to try before you die" rums. I recommend it, Caroni is a truly unique rum."

"RumX Advent Calendar 2024 Day 24 You guys are crazy what you put in there at the end 😅 A really great 98, so elegant, almost easy sipping (in a very positive way) but at a very high level without losing complexity."

"Excellent Caroni with a really nice smoke and dirt note, but also neat burnt caramel, fresh espresso and dried fruit, orange peel and some mint and walnut, as well as burnt caramel on the finish. Very tasty and well-balanced, only the finish could be more intense and longer...."

"Tag 24 des RumX-Adventskalenders (verspätete Verkostung): Fast 20 Jahre hatte ich mich im Bereich der Spirituosen nahezu ausschließlich mit Whisky beschäftigt, als ich bei einem Besuch eines Forumskollegen zum ersten Mal in intensiven Kontakt mit hochwertigem Rum gekommen bin. Meine bisherigen Erfahrungen mit Rum beruhten größtenteils auf Don Papa, A.H. Riise & Co. und mit diesem gezuckerten Zeug konnte ich noch nie was anfangen. An besagtem Wochenende durfte ich u.a. einen Hampden 2010 HLCF, einen Enmore aus der Wooden Coffey Still und einen 12er Caroni von Velier verkosten, was letztlich meine Sichtweise auf Rum und auch meinen weiteren Werdegang als Genießer hochwertiger Spirituosen deutlich veränderte. Nun habe ich also seitdem erstmalig einen Caroni von Velier im Glas und ich bin erneut sehr begeistert. Da dies ja anscheinend ein etwas schwächerer Vertreter dieser Abfüllungen sein soll, befürchte ich, dass ich langsam etwas mehr Geld in die Hand nehmen muss, um die anderen auch probieren zu können. 😅"