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Velier 2000 Caroni rum

Velier 2000 Caroni

Multiple | Aged

9.1/10
16 ratings
Truly a fantastic choice
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16 Velier 2000 Caroni Ratings

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Paul B 🇺🇸 | 472 ratings
Posted over 1 year ago

This was posted a year ago under the wrong bottle and is now being moved to it's correct spot.

I know that a few months ago that I stated that I would not submit any more reviews beyond 400. Well after a brief foray into mezcal pechugas that really made me appreciate my own rum collection, I went into a favorite gourmet store today to buy a small sample of Cajun Caviar (aka bowfin roe at only about $21 US per ounce and comparable to Beluga...thanks but I will stick to salmon roe that tastes much better and is much cheaper).

This happens to be the same store that had that bottle of Caroni 2000 17 Year 110 Proof for three months. That damn bottle was still there! Since I had money to burn today, I doled out the $190 US for that last lonely bottle that begged for me to rescue it from behind it's locked glass case.

Only 2700 of these bottles were produced from 7 barrels purchased in 2005 by La Maison & Velier of Manhasset NY. The different label also had me hesitant to open it because it was not anything like the original orange label. Fears of it tasting like burned rubber really had me hesitant to even open the bottle. However, I am not one to "invest" in collectible rums, and I bought it strictly for the purpose of seeing what the fuss was all about with Caroni rums.

I opened it and to my delight, there was no smell or taste of burning rubber. Damn, I felt luckier than a dog with two dicks! I have been rating rums on here for three and a half years and immediately ranked this one as an 8. It was better than any of my 7 ratings, but certainly no match for any of my 9-10 ratings. It is also a lot better than any of the Foursquare ECS rums that I have tried, as this one is another dry overproof. This is a damn good rum, but simply not worth $190 US. And price had no bearing upon my rating, as usual. My formula simply tells me if it is worth buying again. Now if it was just a few bucks less than half this price, it would begin to become an attractive buy. For investors and collectors, grab this one if you find it!!!! This one will last a very long time in my bottle since it is a dry overproof.

So now that I finally own a bottle of Caroni, this only makes me feel really sorry for all of those in Europe who have to dole out big bucks for these rums just because Caroni went out of business about two decades ago and these are the last ones. This one only ranks in my top 8% of all that I have reviewed. Not bad, but at this price, better and cheaper rums are more readily available. Seek and you will find. This was a hesitant fool to buy this bottle, but I lucked out with a good one, thank goodness.

And what was the reason for my celebration splurge today? The musical genius of Todd Rundgren was finally announced today to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. Had this not happened, this bottle of Caroni would still be crying behind that locked glass.

After note: The reason that I did not taste any rubber tire or other dirty notes was that I have no patience at all. I was advised by another reviewer to let it breathe in the snifter for one whole hour, and then the dirty notes will come out, and this did happen. If that is what you want, then go for it. Not me! Only one other rum that I have tried needs to breathe for one whole hour and this is only to make it enjoyable to drink. That one is Cartavio 12 Year Solera from Peru.

Update a mere 8 days later with only 10 percent sampled from the bottle: Now that my bottle has had time to breathe, the dirty notes have finally reared their ugly head. I am not a masochist nor do I have memories of being run over by a car tire and then having to lick the asphalt afterwards. If that is what you desire, then go ahead and waste at least $200 US on this long forgotten rum. And always remember that Caroni is pronounced like Karen E with the E standing for Entitled.

Update June 8, 2021: The more that I sipped on this rum over the past few weeks, the more that I did not care for it all. It is simply not fair for me to keep my rating at an 8 just because others in Europe may love this stuff. I now have no choice except to drop my rating to a high 7. This one is a waste of money, for both taste and as an investment.

Update June 22, 2021: The final 10 ounces or so from this bottle was finished last night. I have no ill after effects at all from it today. It did require lots of ice cubes to make it drinkable. I can now add Caroni to my one other brand that I refuse to buy again, that being Brugal. This was not a bad rum, just WAY overpriced. After having opened it 40 days before, it was finally time to get it out of my sight.

piratejabez 🇺🇸 | 322 ratings
Posted over 5 years ago

Distilled 2000, bottled 2017. 55% ABV. Nose: boatloads of tire rubber. Something herbal; spearmint? Mouth: huge, explosive flavor. Dry and delicious.

A great big Caroni for all you industrial oil and tire rubber fans out there...

9+

vomi1011 🇩🇪 | 403 ratings
Posted over 2 years ago

My version is EU with 55%.

Nose: Very leathery and sweet, most likely reminds me of Dicky Employee or the RN 1999.
Lots of leather, behind directly tar can be found. It's very dirty.
Nice wood aroma, with a some vanilla from the bourbon cask, dried fruits and an intense sweetness.
The rum convinces me, I like this sweet and dirty one.

Taste: Dirty start with tar, tannins, leather and barrel aromas. The sharpness increases somewhat, the bourbon barrel takes over the aromas, leather develops strongly. The mouth dries out, the dried fruits are present. Tar in connection with tannins becomes quite dominant towards the finish. Overall, the rum is not very spicy at 55%.
The finish is a bit hot and leathery, tar and dried fruits are also included.
The complexity is limited.

Aftertaste: leather, tar, tannins, dried fruits, bourbon barrel

Conclusion: a good caroni, sweet and dirty. A nice vintage that also reminds me of the RN 1999.
Very consistent, but it lacks the complexity that does not justify the price of around 500-700 euros.
I would go for RN 1999. It has a better value for me.

Overall rating: 91 points

Sweetness: 2/5
Fruit: 3/5
Sharpness: 3.5 / 5
PL (600 €): 2.5 / 5

Jirka23689 🇨🇿 | 207 ratings
Posted 3 years ago

Zatím neotevren. Je ve sbírce Caroni rumu na policce.

Alex 🇺🇸 | 5 ratings
Posted 4 years ago

This is a fairly high proof rum, at 55% abv. While I’ve tasted this rum straight, I think the best nose and taste experience comes when you add a drop or two of water to the rum. Seeing as this is my preferred method of drinking Caroni 2000, this review follows my experience drinking this bottle with an added drop of water.

Nose — This is one of the more unique smelling experiences I’ve had with rum. The nose experience, like the tasting notes described below, dramatically shifts over time. When starting this drink, I get pretty strong smells of olives and minerals, as well as a non offensive metallic smell. I also get a background smell of caramel and brown sugar (your more traditional rum smells). As you continue the rum (perhaps due to your nose getting accustomed to the complexities of the smell), the olive scents become more of a background smell, with the sweetness of the rum moving to the foreground. With only a few sips left, the sweetness fully comes out.

Taste — The tasting experience, like the smelling experience, is unique. Again, the taste goes through a pretty dramatic shift throughout the drink. The first third of the drink is dry. The initial taste is sweet, followed quickly by a slight burn and warmth of the mouth. The flavor then moves to a taste of olives and minerals. The tongue linger is moderate — medium length and medium intensity — and has notes of caramel and vanilla. Unlike traditional rums, sweetness does not dominate at this point. As you continue drinking, though, the caramel moves to the forefront. The heat and slight burn reduces throughout the drink. The more you drink, the sweeter it gets; in the end you get a bit if a nutty feeling. You may leave the experience with a slightly tingling tongue from the high abv.

Overall, this is a complex rum. I enjoy sipping and trying to decipher the flavors and experience the shift in nose / taste experience. Again, this rum is unique and is not for everyone, especially if you only like traditional, sweeter rums. But for me, this is a nice and different bottle to pull off the shelf to take a break from the norm. Certainly not a beginner’s introduction to the world of rum.

carl 🇺🇸 | 77 ratings
Posted 3 months ago

This is another one I tried at Cane & Table in New Orleans. Definitely recommend stopping by there for a few pours!

I believe it was around $40 for a single pour of this! I figured I would never buy a full bottle, so I should at least try a pour. It was slightly sweet and with some nice complex notes, very pleasant sipper. For 110 proof I was expecting more burn, but it was smooth. I would have rated it higher but there are probably a lot of bottles in the $100-150 that I would prefer. Also, there is a limited remaining supply since the distillery went out of business, so don’t get hooked on this!

Falcon91Wolvrn03 (PREMIUM) 🇺🇸 | 563 ratings
Posted 10 months ago

Why only an '8'? Because Caroni isn't my favorite style. I find it too dry and doesn't taste at all like any of the rums in my '10' category. One of 2700 bottles ever produced according to the bottle.

Smells and tastes of a typical Caroni rum with asphalt, rubber, and gasoline. But it also has a light spice which I believe makes it more pleasant than other Caronis. Also has notes of leather and oak.

One of the best Caroni's I've tried!

alexander 🇳🇱 | 10 ratings
Posted over 1 year ago

Nose: olives and a bit of a dirty side (metallic, diesel)
Taste: very powerful mineral, caramel and olive taste. It changes quite a lot
Overall: complex, wonderful Caroni.

Captain_Tyson 🇺🇸 | 100 ratings
Posted over 1 year ago

Had the opportunity to try this, and was not disappointed! Tire fire, burnt rubber. Gasoline. Shockingly smooth. So unique.

Jagsroy (PREMIUM) 🇨🇦 | 288 ratings
Posted almost 2 years ago

My limited knowledge of Caroni rums consists of being high quality and expensive rums. The research I did indicates that this Caroni 2000 rum was aged 17 years at 55% ABV and only 582 bottles were made. Found one for sale for $1,450 Euros ($1,980 CAD at today’s rate). It is definitely the best rum I have ever tasted. No sweetness detected, in fact it somehow reminds me of Jamaican rums without the “funk”. Absolutely delicious. To ever have a chance to buy one of these for my rum collection I will start buying some 6/49 lottery tickets.




Brand Details

Name: 2000 Caroni
Yr Distilled: 2000
Type: Velier
Raw Material: Unknown
Process: Unknown
Distillation: Unknown
Women Led Rum: No

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