Spring Spirits Caroni Rum 1998

Spring Spirits bottled this single cask of Caroni, the Trinidad distillery that closed in 2003 and became rum's most storied lost name. Distilled in 1998 from molasses and matured twenty three years, it shows a more aromatic, herbal facet of heavy Caroni rather than the bluntest tar-and-rubber expression, while keeping the oily intensity collectors prize.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak and bottled at full cask strength, it opens on menthol, liquorice, smoke and earth, with a palate of mint, herbs, smoke and tar that stays dense and savoury. The finish brings woody depth, tobacco, fruit and a touch of honey. At 56.8% it is rich and well balanced for its weight, rewarding a long rest in the glass, a distinctive Caroni that swaps some of the diesel for menthol and herbs without losing the distillery's brooding, industrial soul.