Bedford Park Caroni 1998. This rum is actually labelled as Bedford Park Single Barrel Trinidad Rum. I usually go with the detail on the bottle label when “naming” my reviews.

However, the company have this listed as Caroni 1998 online and I figure that will likely entice more readers/potential purchasers. So I’ve gone with that.

I’m reliant on the stock photos from the North Point Distillery site. I only have samples at present. I know they aren’t the best but luckily all the information on the bottle is contained on their website. So I can still give you all plenty information on this rum, even if I can’t present the rum as well as I might like.

Now Caroni has been non-operational/closed for some time. Yet the amount of rum being bottled by Independent Bottlers, sees no sign of abating anytime soon. Prices are steadily creeping up but then again so is the age of these spirits. I think the Main Rum Company/E A Scheer must have a lot of stocks in Liverpool and Amsterdam. They must have bought a LOT of rum when the Caroni Distillery closed.

So this Bedford Park Caroni 1998 comes in at a hefty £270. Which is a fair chunk of change for a bottle of rum. So what does £270 get you?

Well, Bedford Park Caroni 1998 is a 25 year old rum distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2024. So it’s actually older than 25 years but not quite 26. It is a Single Barrel/Cask rum and has been bottled at Cask Strength of 59.6% ABV.  The cask type is noted as being ex-Rum Cask. So I’m guessing its an ex-bourbon barrel which has had at least a secondary fill with rum. When or where from I do not know.

The rum is non-chill filtered with no additives. The barrel has yielded just 208 bottles. It was distilled on a Column Still.

As the Caroni Distillery closed in the early 00’s and the stocks were sold off to brokers around this time, it is safe to say that this rum will have been aged in Europe for most (if not all) of its 25 plus years. If my memory serves me correct this may well have been made with the last of the Trinidad molasses before Caroni began using imported molasses for the last few years of production.

Correct me if I am wrong my recollections are not always correct. The rum is available direct on the North Point Distillery website, who are helping Bedford Park with distribution.

So that is the information over with so now I’ll inform you on how this one tastes!

In the glass Bedford Park Caroni 1998 is a very dark brown with a slightly reddish hue. It is a dark a Caroni as I have seen,

On the nose, I am getting a lot of ash like smoke and notes of diesel fumes, tar, tobacco and some engine oil. So this is very definitely into the “heavier” style Caroni. Which is fine by me.

Further nosing reveals more woody notes but they are little musty – this rum kind of smells a little old. It is not one trick pony though and I am also getting some nail varnish, notes of bitter plum and a light fruity aroma which floats in and out.

There is a touch of burnt toast and marmalade lurking as well.

On the sip at Cask Strength this is quite a fiery little rum and it certainly takes a few sips to get a feel for what is going on with it.

It has a rich mouthfeel and a lot of flavour from the outset. Plenty of rich dark fruits and oilier notes of petrol, creosote and some dark smoky woody notes.

It’s slightly tannic with a lot of drying red wine like notes as we move into the mid palate – plums and apricots float in amongst the “muckier and murkier” notes of diesel oil and nail varnish. Some petrol like aromas become more prominent the more you sip.

This rum certainly ticks all the boxes for a Caroni nut in terms of profile. Even for something which likely hasn’t enjoyed much tropical ageing, it is still very rich and warming overall.

The finish is long and very satisfying with lots of smoky notes and petrol mingling alongside the sweeter and fruitier notes.

This is one of the best Caroni rums I have had. It reminds me very much of the Bristol Spirits Caroni 1997 which I reviewed some time ago now. From memory that one slightly shades it over this but this is still highly recommended if you want Heavy Caroni rum.

An excellent albeit expensive bottling but then again most Caroni of this age is carrying this kind of price point now.