Isla del Ron Caroni 1989

Isla del Ron bottled this single cask of Caroni distilled in 1989 and held twenty-seven years at cask strength. It comes from the closed Trinidad distillery's rescued stock, but rather than the heavy tar-and-rubber archetype this is one of the lighter, sweeter, more column-driven faces of Caroni.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak from molasses, it shows vanilla, fruit, wood and green fruits on the nose, then a fruity, metallic, licorice-tinged palate, closing on licorice and caramel. At 52.5% the alcohol is not perfectly integrated and the character sits well away from classic heavy Caroni, with caramel, vanilla, toffee and soft spice over a comparatively light, easy body. Some find it atypical for the distillery, closer to a sweet column rum than to Caroni funk. Better suited to those who enjoy gentler, sweeter Trinidad rums than to Caroni purists chasing the dirt.