Bristol Caroni Reserve Rum of HTR 1998

Bristol Classic Rum is the long-running English bottler that specialises in liquid history from closed distilleries, and Caroni is exactly that, the legendary Trinidad operation shut in 2003. This Reserve bottling draws on the 1998 vintage, a 24 year old heavy Trinidad rum offered unsweetened at a moderate 51.3%.

Distilled on the column still from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon oak, it keeps the dirty workshop, tar and rubber notes that define the style, but the reduced strength makes them more approachable, with burnt wood, caramel and a surprising thread of fresh fruit rounding the profile. The attack is clean, the body oily without being aggressive, and the finish long and lingering. This hits a sweet spot for those who love Caroni funk but find the full proofs a bit much, real 1998 character and depth dialled back just enough to sip comfortably.