Velier Caroni Blended Rum 1985

This is an early Velier Caroni, distilled in 1985 and bottled by the Genoa house at fifteen years as a blend rather than a single cask. Caroni, on the Trinidad plain, closed around 2003, and Velier's bottlings of its rescued stock created the scarcity and reverence the distillery now commands.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak from molasses, it carries the full mechanic's workshop signature, burnt sugar, vegetal menthol and bicycle-tube rubber on the nose, then a softer palate of fruity oak, milk chocolate and toffee with a warm, nutty, caramelled finish. At 49.5% it is gentler and more drinkable than the towering cask strength Caronis, oily and silky in texture while keeping the dark, bittersweet, savoury core intact. A fine entry into vintage Caroni for those who want its character without the highest proof.