Velier Caroni 2nd Employees Kevon „Slippery“ Moreno HTR 1998

Caroni shut down in 2003, and Velier's rescue of its abandoned casks gave the world a finite, mythologised run of full-proof Trinidad rum. This Employees bottling salutes a member of the old workforce and pours from the heavy 1998 vintage at a fierce 69.5%, matured 21 years in the Caribbean heat.

Tropical ageing in ex-bourbon oak pushes the industrial Caroni signature to its limit, tar, smoke and leather on the nose deepening into incense and machine oil, then rubber, leather and tar across an oily, concentrated palate. Dried and tropical fruits and dark chocolate keep it from tipping into pure savagery, and the finish runs roasted, bitter and very long. Unsweetened and uncompromising, this is among the dirtier, stronger Employees releases, a focused, slow-sipping rum for drinkers who already know they love heavy Caroni.