CDI Caroni 1993

Compagnie des Indes, the respected, terroir-led French bottler led by Florent Beuchet, presents this 1993 Caroni from the closed Trinidad distillery. Caroni ceased production in 2003, and its older vintages are increasingly scarce. This single cask was bottled at a natural 53.1 percent, and at 23 years it shows a softer, more polished face than the heaviest marks.

Distilled from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon oak, this is an unusually fruity and approachable Caroni: orange and lemon peel, honey and vanilla on the nose, then barrel, roasted notes, dark chocolate and a varnish edge on the palate, finishing on oak, vanilla and a clean dryness. The classic tar and rubber are dialled right back here, the alcohol well integrated and the whole thing mellow and easy to drink. A gentler, characterful introduction to old Trinidad for those who find the dirtier Caronis too intense.