Velier Caroni Distilled 2000 Aged 17 Years TWE Exclusive. Here we have another Caroni bottling this time from the masters of Tropically Aged Caroni – Italian wine and spirits importer – Velier.
For this release Velier have teamed up with The Whisky Exchange, to give us a Full Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum. This Velier/TWE Caroni 2000 has been aged for 17 years solely in Trinidad.
The Whisky Exchange have selected Single Cask #R4008 of Heavy Trinidad Caroni rum. It has been bottled at 70.4% ABV and the single cask yielded 238 such bottles. It was produced on a column still.
For those familiar with Velier Caroni rum you will not be surprised to see the rum in the familiar opaque style bottle. Complete with a handy and very sturdy card sleeve which depicts a worker in the sugar fields of the estate.
Despite the Caroni distillery closing around 15 years ago it is still common to see independent bottlings of Caroni. Velier have the lions share (if not the entire remaining stock) of solely Tropically aged Caroni rum. Caroni rum you see for sale by European bottlers such as Cadenhead’s, Samaroli and Bristol Classic Rum has been aged at least partially in European climbs. I am not adding this as a “warning” as many of these bottlings are excellent. It is purely for information purposes so you know what you are paying for.
Because if you do plump for this you’ll need a spare £300…..
In the glass the rum is a dark brown with a very orange hue to it. The nose is full on and quite smoky. Familiar medicinal notes of Heavy Caroni rum really come to the fore on the initial nosing.
Burnt rubber tyres, notes of super glue, a touch of tar and creosote. Yet despite all these rather “addictive” (or to some very off putting) notes – a certain sweetness also shows itself. Dark Chocolate and chestnuts.
There are notes of Christmas Pudding – orange peel and marmalade mixed with a touch of raisin. Maybe even some Brandy sauce.
Sipped at full strength it is unsurprisingly a very intense experience. Initially you are overwhelmed by the medicinal and smoky nature of the rum. Smaller sips or a drop or two of water help when tasting this rum.
This helps bring out the fruitier notes – almost like an orange flavoured cola. These notes are also intense and there is a slight astringency to them.
On the mid palate you get more sweetness when the smokiness subsides. Nice notes of toffee and almost licorice like molasses. A slight bitter blackcurrant note and some dark cherries and notes of ginger and a zesty spiciness from the oak really hit the back of the palate.
The finish is long with a slight bitterness and smoke. There is a lot of oak but there is enough sweetness and complexity to prevent the rum from becoming to dry.
As far as Heavy Trinidad Rum aged in the Tropics is concerned, this is exactly what you should expect to get. It’s rich, warming and slightly scary. Once you become accustomed to this style of rum it actually also becomes very more-ish. At 70% ABV that is perhaps not a good thing
Certainly not something to give to a new rum drinker but definitely one which will really please a Caroni nut.
The rum which will be available exclusively from The Whisky Exchange will be available as part of a ballot. This will be open from 24th September until the 4th October. I will be posting a link to the ballot once it goes “live”.
For anyone unsure the rum will be available to taste at The Whisky Show on the 29th and 30th September and also anywhere Luca Gargano is over the next few weeks!
If you are wondering how I came about trying this rum ahead of the release and ballot, I was sent a sample for review from The Whisky Exchange. I’ll be entering the ballot having tried this though….
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Welsh Toro
October 1, 2018 at 7:50 pm
People keep suggesting that rum might be the next big thing but expressions like this make me question that idea. Caroni has a huge reputation, is a closed distillery, and the Velier expressions I have had have all been excellent. It seems to me, however, that there is a price point beyond which many rum enthusiasts, myself included, are reluctant to go. The Kill Devil, Single Cask, Caronis, which have a hefty age statement like all Caroni now has, have been on sale for ages and you can still buy them on multiple web sites. The same is true of the Velier 21 and 23 year bottlings. £200 seems to be the cut off. That’s a hell of a lot of money for any spirit but especially one that is meant to be enjoyed rather than revered like ancient whisky. I appreciate that a bottle like this excellent but the price suggests it’s a collectors item or an investment. That’s kind of disappointing but so be it. However, if these bottles were from an esteemed and closed whisky distillery they would be sold out within 24 hours of release. That gives me some hope. I’m very pleased that we are witnessing an era of excellent and accessible rum but I do not want to see it going the way of whisky where prices have become increasingly outrageous and purchasing becomes a race with fellow enthusiasts.
thefatrumpirate
October 4, 2018 at 4:42 pm
There will never be as many Rum Enthusiasts as there are Whisky Collectors. Demand dictates price. I do not see rum becoming “more expensive” in the longer term.