Caroni S.B.S 1998

1423 select this Caroni single barrel under their S.B.S line, drawing on the 1998 vintage from the closed Trinidad distillery whose forgotten casks Velier brought to fame. At twenty-four years, unsweetened and 62.9%, it is a gentler, more polished Caroni than the fiercest bottlings, a transparent Single Barrel Selection at full strength.

The molasses spirit was column distilled and matured in ex-bourbon oak. The nose carries tar, wood, vanilla and petrol, but the palate is unusually fruity and sweet-leaning, toffee and mint sitting alongside light rubber, herbs and tar, with the finish running on rubber, menthol and a minty, herbal close. The industrial markers are present but dialled back, balanced by fruit and polish. That makes it a softer gateway into Caroni at cask strength, rewarding for drinkers who want the character without the full tarry, garage-floor intensity.