Precious Liquors Caroni Tortuga No. 3 (East Asia Whisky) Mizunara Japanese Oak Finish 1998

Precious Liquors gave this 1998 Caroni an unusual finish in Mizunara, the prized Japanese oak, under its Tortuga line for East Asia Whisky. Caroni, the closed Trinidad distillery, ceased production in 2003, and the heavy 1998 vintage is among the most sought. This single cask was bottled unsweetened at a powerful 58.1 percent.

Made from molasses, matured in ex-bourbon oak and then finished in Mizunara, it keeps the full industrial Caroni signature, tar, leather, petrol and rubber, while the Japanese oak layers on a drier freshness, mint, juniper and subtle dried fruit. The palate stays tarry, woody, medicinal and leathery, the finish bringing wood, tar, juniper and liquorice. The Mizunara teases out the distillery's classic late-90s character rather than smothering it, the additional ageing adding a fresh, spicy lift. A deep, contemplative heavy Caroni with a genuinely distinctive cask twist.