Velier Caroni Heavy Rum (TWE) HTR 2000

Caroni, the closed Trinidad distillery rescued by Velier, is the most mythologised name in rum, its full-proof bottlings the stuff of collector legend. This heavy Trinidad single cask from the 2000 vintage was bottled by Velier for The Whisky Exchange, a column-still rum aged 17 years and presented at a monstrous 70.4% full proof.

Distilled from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon oak, it is a deep and dirty Caroni, with tar, rubber and nail-polish esters over leather, dark chocolate and bright orange peel, the finish turning to glue, tar and bicycle-tube rubber. There is a mulchy, fruity layer beneath, but this is squarely the woody, spicy, industrial side of the distillery, intensified by the enormous strength. Best in tiny neat pours that let the oily character open slowly, this is a bottle for the most committed Caroni drinkers, uncompromising and full of personality.