Velier Caroni 4th Employees Dayanand „Yunkoo“ Balloon 1998

The rum would have knocked out the other two Caroni's in the flight blindfolded. Undisputed nose-and-palate heavyweight champion. That's what a Caroni has to be like!

Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Intense HTR, wood, spices, tobacco and menthol flank the typical tar, rubber and petrol aroma profile of heavy Trinidad rums. A very good representative of the 1998 Caroni vintage.

A Caroni representing the distillery's heavy style. The nose is very intense at first, with notes of oil, smoke and spices, then gains in subtlety after aeration with some fruity notes, caramel and hazelnut. The attack on the palate is powerful, heavy and very warm, with notes of tar and rubber. The smoky, spicy side is as present as ever, with a hint of leather and bitterness. Still, red fruits and citrus fruits lurk in ambush, making it easier to drink. The finish is long, dark, smoky and woody, with tannins drying out the palate. A hint of mango also makes itself felt. An unpolished, complex Caroni that reveals much more after aeration.

Yesterday I had the unique opportunity to compare this rum with other 98s, including Paradise #2. Compared to the Paradise, this one is quite different, very brute with a high alcohol content that is not perfectly integrated, becomes milder with time, nice menthol notes!

Had a very nice Caroni employee tasting just across the border at a friend's place. He has the entire collection in several copies, so I could have a go at hose i haven't tried yet. This one is very nice and a heavy one of its kind. The nose is intense and complex, but after resting it starts to settle and a lot of flavours are eminating. The typical Caroni flavours are there with rubber and tar on top of oak and fruit. Trailing behind i find a smoky note and some vanilla. The palate really kicks it up a notch. Intense and heavy with rubber, tar and oak in the front followed by fruit and leather and a bit of vanilla. The finish is long and warming with smoky oak, rubber and some mango.

There were a few employes in the test today. Yunkoo, Buju, Nitz and Brigade. To sum up, they are all very tasty caronis. For me, only Brigade is the one that has lost out a little, the others are all very close together. My ranking today would be: 1st Yunkoo 2. Nitz 3. Buju 4. brigade

Great rubber nose. A bit too biting on the palate.

This is a very powerful Caroni and responds well to a lot aeration time in the glass. Almost too powerful for me if I am honest😂 undoubtedly complex and very flavoursome. Smoky, rubber tyres and tar, some fruits in the background and is quite spicy, I notice vanilla. A lot of barrel influence. A medium length finish. Glad to have tried this rum!

Like the other two in the 4th Employee series, extremely powerful. These rums take no prisoners and they really take you fully. Already the color and the smell are stunning, in the taste then even a slight almond sweetness or nut wood note. But of course the dirty tar note predominates. My girlfriend tasted car tires, but not in a negative sense. Really outstanding bottlings.

Typisch dreckige und ausgeprägte Caroni Nase, so wie es sein muss. Teer, Gummi ergänzt um Mango und Karamell. Das zieht sich im überragenden Geschmack ebenso durch ergänzt um etwas Zitrusfrüchte und Pfeffer. Geile Kombination. Schöner langer Abgang. Ein Caroni, wie er sein muss.

... Caroni je destilerie z Trinidadu, produkujici v dobe sve nejvetsi slavy rum, ktery se pridaval v pomeru 1:10 do namornickeho blendu. Byl totiz moc vyrazny a divny nez aby byl prijemny na jazyku. V roce 2000 destilerka skoncila s produkci a byla uzavrena. Az v roce 2010 se objevili degustatori, kteri si rum oblibili prave pro jeho specialni chut. A zajem rostl. Caroni patri do kategorie rumu "you need to try before you die". Doporucuji, Caroni je opravdu unikatni rum.

Hammernase 🔨🔨! Sehr frisch (Menthol, Kampfer), wunderbare Politur/Lacknoten, schöne Holzreife, ein Hauch Mango und Banane. Gummi und Benzin. Im Mund sehr voll und warm. Holz, Karamell, starke Würze(Anis, Piment, verbrannte Lakritze). Langer, sehr holziger Abgang. Toller Caroni, kräftig, aber eher gezähmt. So gut kann Benzin riechen!!!⛽️⛽️⛽️

Poured into the glass, it is initially extremely restrained on the nose, you do not find the fruitiness of the first Caroni in this tasting. In the mouth initially sweetness, but then comes more and more - some dirt, spices, alcohol. Then in the finish a clear bitterness. Complex, quite exciting, but not my favorite - and for me far from the celebrated scores that are awarded in some blogs.

In the nose is solvent and somehow smell something dirty, maybe tar or something similar. Light spices and fruit in the background! Overall, however, very intense! On the palate continues that intense: briefly some sweetness, then again the dirty, wood, pepper, somehow leather and all very intense, but super pleasant! Also in the finish this continues.... with time it also becomes slightly astringent.... Overall a grenade... am heavily excited

Takes a bit of time to open. Nose is leathery / a bit « renfermé » / but ample - and complex. Frank attack, strong, complex, liquorice at the finish, fruits, ample on the tongue Very long finish - very agreeable