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So what is special about this bottling? Well for starters, among rum nerds, this is a Caroni and Caroni needs no introduction. For non-rum nerds, the Caroni distillery was a fairly famous sugar estate and rum distillery that closed down in 2002. The distillery was famous for producing rums for blends. But it also produced rums with, shall we say, a very peculiar profile of industrial style funk. After the distillery closed, it may dormant for a long time. Then Luca Gargano discovered the closed distillery and purchased the adjacent warehouse containing the last stores of rums produced by Caroni. All Caroni rums left in the world right now are all that is left. None has been produced in over 20 years. So what about this bottling?
This rum is a single cask acquired by Kill Devil (Golden Devil in the US) from Velier (Luca Gargano’s company) and bottled in 2021 at its native cask strength of 60.9% ABV. It is a molasses based, high ester column still rum distilled in 1998, four years prior to the close of the distillery, and aged both tropically and then continentally for 23 years in ex-bourbon barrels before being bottled (undiluted) and allocated to K&L in late 2021. So what does this relic taste like?
On the nose I initially get Caramel and Toffee, ok nothing really exceptional. Then the nose explodes into rich Tawny Porto, Tire Sealant, and canned Cranberry sauce. Still in the Thanksgiving spirit I had to double check that last one, but yeah it’s spot on. That is an interesting combination. Even if it is more muted than I anticipated, the industrial funk is indeed there in the form of Tire Sealant. It’s not overpowering but it is most definitely noticeable.
Taking a sip, a combination Tawny Port, Tire Sealant, and Toffee immediately engulf my entire senses. Next comes a deep, rich encompassing “rum” note like that that I adore on the Foursquare 2007, accompanied by deep raw oak and Vicks Cherry Cough Drops. On the next sip I get flooded with fresh hazelnuts. This is nuts. Despite the seeming incongruity of the descriptive terms it all works together flawlessly in a strange but luring synchronicity. But that’s somehow not even the best part.
The finish on this rum is outright insane… and eternal. There’s no escaping it. Once the rum leaves your mouth you will continue to taste and smell this rum for hours. Indeed, the finish is somehow the most expressive and complex part of the entire experience. That is unique to me. I have never had any rum with a finish anywhere close to as complex and permeating as this. After the rum leaves my mouth I get engulfed by the tastes and scents of Tire Sealant, Burning rubber, Plug tobacco, and Vicks Cherry cough drops. All together and all at once. Then I inhale a long cherry mint flavored, chest tingling, breath. When I breathe out I taste long aged Irish whiskey and pure bitter vanilla extract. After taking another sip I get hazelnuts yet again. All of the above notes then synchronize, congregate and mingle among my senses…for hours. I am still tasting and smelling them now as I write this and I drank this over an hour ago. I have to pour another glass, this is just too good.
While not as intensely industrial or outright funky as Hamilton St. Lucia 2005 this is up the same alley, but more synchronous and imminently sippable. The finish is outright astonishing in both its complexity and its duration. I have never had any spirit’s notes last this long in my senses. Each breath brings all the notes right back into my senses. Moreover, the notes, despite their disparity, work together flawlessly to create an all encompassing sensory experience.
Frankly, this is incredible. The last bottle I dropped serious money on was a relative let down and made me regret it. Not this. This pushed my limits monetarily (at least for me)…but damn if it’s not worth every penny. This hits like the perfect blend of two of my favorite rums of all time: Foursquare 2007 and Hamilton St. Lucia 2005. I want to keep going back to this well over and over but I know it’s rarity and that I can’t. I will be keeping this one around for only the most special occasions.
I am at a loss for further words and I feel like even this review doesn’t do the rum justice. This is an extraordinary tipple, and not because it’s rare…but because it delivers an extraordinary and incredible sensory experience I have not had with any other rum. I am disappointed that the distillery is closed, they really need to recreate it somehow. This is just too good.
Simply put, this is some of the best rum I have ever had. This rum brings out the best notes of two of my favorite rums of all time and blends them in perfect harmony. Then it stays in my senses almost eternally.
Short Description: If Ed Hamilton and Luca Gargano got together and created a flawless blend of Hamilton St. Lucia 2005 and Foursquare 2007.
ABV 60.9%
Country of Origin: Trinidad and Tobago
Distillery: Caroni (now defunct)
Nose: Caramel, Toffee, Tawny Porto, Tire Sealant, Cranberry Sauce,
Palate: Tawny Porto, Tire Sealant, Toffee, deep classic Rum note, deep raw Oak, Vicks Cherry Cough Drops, Hazelnut
Finish (eternal): Tire Sealant, Burning Rubber, Plug Tobacco, Vicks Cherry Cough Drops, Menthol inhale, long aged Irish whiskey, bitter Vanilla Extract, Hazelnuts