The Wild Parrot Caroni HTR 1998

Caroni is the closed Trinidad distillery whose oily, industrial rum collectors prize, brought back to attention when Velier rescued its forgotten casks. This single cask from the 1998 vintage was bottled by The Wild Parrot, a heavy Trinidad rum aged 20 years and presented at a serious 63.5% cask strength.

Distilled from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon oak, it leans into the darker side of the style, with tar, workshop grease and wood smoke over leather and restrained dark fruit, allspice and barrel spice rounding the edges. The palate stays smoky and dry, the structure firm and the finish long, tannic and roasted. There is a multi-layered depth here that pushes past the classic dirty notes without losing them. For seasoned drinkers who enjoy heavy Caroni and want its smoky, savoury intensity dialled further up, this is a structured, balanced full-proof bottle for slow appreciation.