TBRC Caroni Bottled for Kirsch Whisky 1998

That Boutique-y Rum Company bottled this single cask Caroni for Kirsch Whisky from the 1998 vintage, a 22 year release at cask strength with no additives. Caroni is the closed Trinidad distillery, production halted around 2003, whose finite casks have become some of the most coveted in rum, usually for their heavy, dirty character.

This one breaks the mould. Column-distilled from molasses and aged in ex-bourbon oak, it shows mango, menthol and herbal notes on the nose, then a palate of dark chocolate, cherry and menthol with only light rubber underneath. The finish keeps that cherry-and-menthol freshness alongside allspice and a faint bicycle-tube note. Milder and rounder than the typical 1998 Caroni, it trades workshop funk for fruit and herbs, making it an approachable example of the style at 58.1% for drinkers who find classic Caroni a bit much.