Caroni

Caroni is home to one of the world's rarest and most sought-after rums.  Following the Caribbean distillery's untimely closure at the turn of the 21st century, bottlings are becoming rare. With the remaining stock dwindling as time passes and the distillery long demolished, there is a finite number of casks. Ultimately this means that Caroni and its fanatical cult following will eventually be lost forever.

Caroni was known for its distinctive heavy and oily style of rum. Nutty and sweet with hints of molasses and savoury notes, such as tobacco leaf.

Releases are becoming increasingly rare with limited editions from independent bottlers such as That Boutique-y Rum Company, The Whisky Barrel and Hunter Laing (via their Kill Devil high proof rum range).

Caroni's rum was produced from its own sugarcane crop that was grown on the estate. Water for production was taken from the nearby Caroni River. It was believed that the low mineral content of the river contributed to Caroni's heavier style. Production since the late 1970s was through a four column still. At its height, the distillery was a major employer on the island with close to 9000 workers. It also supplied rum to the British Navy. The rum was distilled, aged, blended and bottled on site.

The Caroni distillery was founded in 1918 and built on the site of an old sugar factory. It was located on the Caroni Plains near Port of Spain, Trinidad. The distillery was Government owned and operated with its own sugar processing plant. Early success was achieved with rum produced through a cast iron still. This was later replaced by a Coffey still and copper pot still before they too were replaced with a column still.

By the 1980s and 1990s, the sugarcane industry in Trinidad was in serious decline, and this impacted rum production. The previous 50+ distilleries had already dwindled to just eight by the 1950s and by the late 1990s only two remained - Angostura and Caroni.

In 2001, the Trinidad Government sold a 49% stake of Caroni Rum Distillers Ltd to its main rival, Angostura. It sealed the fate of the distillery, which Angostura closed just one year later in 2002. The buildings have subsequently been demolished. There were protests against the Government who were blamed for the closure. Angostura is now the only remaining rum distillery on Trinidad.

The brand has been revived by Luca Gargano - the owner of Velier, an Italian wine and spirits importer. He purchased many of the remaining casks after visiting Trinidad in 2004. There is now very little left with most that is maturing of significant age. The result is that since its closure the distillery and any bottles have found cult status amongst rum and spirit drinkers. These include Velier's own Caroni Employee series and the Caroni 23 years old 'The Last', which was distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2021.