Velier Caroni High Proof Rum (EU) HTR 2000

Velier's Caroni High Proof 2000 comes from the most mythologised name in rum. Caroni, on Trinidad's central plain, closed in 2003, and Luca Gargano's Velier rescued thousands of forgotten casks from the abandoned bond, bottling a finite run that created the cult around this distillery. This 2000 vintage, aged 17 years, sits squarely in that story.

Matured tropically in ex-bourbon oak and bottled at 55%, it is a heavy Caroni through and through: tar, burnt rubber and leather lead the nose, joined by diesel funk, while the palate turns oily and woody with charred notes, dark chocolate and a flicker of menthol and citrus. The finish is long, smoky and savoury. For drinkers who love the industrial style, this offers the full dirty profile with the balance and drinkability that the lower proof 2000 releases are prized for.