Velier Caroni 6th Employees Ricky “Dirty Harry” Seeharack HTR 1996

Caroni closed its Trinidad gates in 2003, and the casks Velier carried out of the silent warehouse became some of the most sought after rum ever bottled. This Employees release honours a member of the old distillery crew and pours from the heavy 1996 vintage, matured a quarter century in the tropics before reaching 66.2%.

Long ageing in ex-bourbon oak under Caribbean heat deepens the classic industrial signature into tar, burnt rubber, roasted wood and dark caramel, with ripe mango and warm spice surfacing as it opens. The palate is dense and oily, tar and caramel woven through woody bitterness, while the finish carries liquorice, roasted notes and a long savoury fade. Unsweetened and built for slow drinking, it shows the depth and surprising balance that make 1996 a benchmark Caroni year, best given a proper rest before the first real sip.