Velier Caroni Paradise #2 1998

Velier, the Genoese house that rescued Caroni's forgotten casks and made the distillery a legend, bottled this Paradise single cask from the 1998 vintage, a 24 year release at cask strength and free of additives. Caroni closed around 2003, and Velier's tropically aged, full-proof bottlings of its finite stock are the most coveted reading of the most mythologised name in rum.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak, it balances the industrial signature, tar, rubber and petrol, against a cooling menthol freshness, with vanilla, caramel, nutty depth and light tropical fruit filling out the palate, and the finish returning to rubber, smoke and tar. The integration at 56.3% is excellent, the dirt and the sweetness held in even measure, which marks it among the standout 1998 casks, though it is not the loudest or dirtiest in the range. A refined, focused Caroni that rewards unhurried attention.