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Caroni
Distillery

Caroni

8.8/10 (10,791 reviews)

  • Roasted notes
  • For connoisseurs
  • But: mostly over €50

Compare bottlings ›

No closed distillery is chased harder than Caroni. The Trinidad distillery makes no more rum, yet its heavy, oily, almost diesel-like rum became a collector obsession, carried to the world by Velier.

Browse all rums from Caroni

623 bottlings, 183 of them available, prices from 40 partner shops. As of October 2026.

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Prices incl. VAT and shipping to incl. VAT & shipping to How we rank

Rum Nation Caroni HTR 1998

Rum Nation Caroni HTR 1998
Caroni
Rum Nation Caroni HTR 1998
8.5/10 (77 reviews)
Trinidad · 18 years · 55%
Tar · Dried fruit · Rubber
378.00 €
incl. shipping · 540.00 € per litre
Add to cart

CoR Caroni Trinidad No. 3 1998

CoR Caroni Trinidad No. 3 1998
Caroni
CoR Caroni Trinidad No. 3 1998
8.7/10 (68 reviews)
Trinidad · 24 years · 62.9%
Roasted · Tar · Rubber
574.95 €
incl. shipping · 821.36 € per litre
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CoR Caroni Trinidad No. 4 1998

CoR Caroni Trinidad No. 4 1998
Caroni
CoR Caroni Trinidad No. 4 1998
8.5/10 (58 reviews)
Trinidad · 24 years · 62.9%
Tar · Burnt sugar · Rubber
574.95 €
incl. shipping · 821.36 € per litre
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Excellence Rhum Caroni 1998

Excellence Rhum Caroni 1998
Caroni
Excellence Rhum Caroni 1998
8.5/10 (55 reviews)
Trinidad · 23 years · 65.2%
Dried fruit · Spice · Toasted
727.54 €
incl. shipping · 1,013.00 € per litre
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Perola Caroni Bellamy's Reserve 1998

Perola Caroni Bellamy's Reserve 1998
Bellamy's Reserve
Perola Caroni Bellamy's Reserve 1998
8.7/10 (54 reviews)
Trinidad · 23 years · 64%
Tropical fruits · Rubber · Tar
398.99 €
incl. shipping · 569.99 € per litre
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Bristol Caroni HTR 1974

Bristol Caroni HTR 1974
Caroni
Bristol Caroni HTR 1974
8.9/10 (52 reviews)
Trinidad · 34 years · 46%
Rubber · Tar · Oak
1,490.00 €
incl. shipping · 2,128.57 € per litre
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Caroni S.B.S The Beast #3 1993

Caroni S.B.S The Beast #3 1993
S.B.S
Caroni S.B.S The Beast #3 1993
5.8/10 (52 reviews)
Trinidad · 29 years · 49.6%
Rubber · Bitter · Tar
399.90 €
incl. shipping · 571.29 € per litre
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TBRC Caroni HTR

TBRC Caroni HTR
Caroni
TBRC Caroni HTR
8.4/10 (45 reviews)
Trinidad · 20 years · 54.7%
Rubber · Tar · Brown sugar
199.00 €
incl. shipping · 398.00 € per litre
Add to cart
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Is Caroni rum good?

Caroni wins the community over: 97% of 10,791 ratings are good or better.

A good fit if
  • you like dark, roasted notes Lots of roasted notes in community tags: 98% of ratings, all rums: 20%
  • you’ve already tried a lot of rum 95% of ratings are for connoisseur bottles, all rums: 50% Exceptions: Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 15 HTR 1998, Rum Nation Caroni HTR 1998
  • you like it strong 94% of ratings are for bottles at 50% ABV or cask strength, all rums: 54% Exceptions: Bristol Caroni HTR 1974, Bristol Caroni VSOC 2003
  • high community scores matter to you 91% of ratings are very good (8/10 or more), all rums: 54%
Probably not if
  • you want to stay under €50 0.2% of ratings are for bottles under €50, all rums: 35%
  • you mix it or drink it on ice 0.1% of ratings are for bottles that reviews recommend for mixing, all rums: 33%
  • you’re just getting into rum 0% of ratings are for beginner bottles, all rums: 25%

People who like Caroni also rate these higher than other tasters do: Bardinet +1.8 Amrut +1.0 La Bonne Intention +0.6

Buying for someone else? The Rum Finder helps you choose

Based on 10,791 ratings, including 2,114 with a flavour profile and 4,498 with a written review.

What is the best rum from Caroni?

Among rums with at least 30 ratings, Velier Caroni Paradise #6 (Guyana Stock) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996 leads with 9.7/10 from 35 ratings. The most rated is La Maison & Velier Caroni Navy Rum 100th Anniversary „Replica“ HTR 2000 with 8.8/10 from 296. The 614 bottlings with a known strength range from 35 to 77.3% ABV; half of them sit between 50.7 and 62.5%.

BottlingAgeABVRatingPriceincl. shipping
Velier Caroni Paradise (Guyana Stock) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996 24 years24 years—9.9/10 (11 reviews)not available
Velier Caroni Paradise #6 (Guyana Stock) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996 24 years · 62,4%24 years62,4%9.7/10 (35 reviews)not available
Velier Caroni Heavy Rum Guyana Stock (Kirsch Whisky) HTR 1996 20 years · 62,4%20 years62,4%9.5/10 (36 reviews)3,995.00 €
5,707.14 € per litre
Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996 Column Still Rum23 years · 61,9%23 years61,9%9.4/10 (236 reviews)1,199.95 €
1,714.21 € per litre
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1974 34 years · 66,1%34 years66,1%9.4/10 (43 reviews)5,500.00 €
7,857.14 € per litre
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum (Old Whisky) HTR 1996 20 years · 70,8%20 years70,8%9.4/10 (34 reviews)4,500.00 €
6,428.57 € per litre
Velier Caroni Paradise #15 Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996 24 years · 65,1%24 years65,1%9.4/10 (10 reviews)not available
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992 20 years · 60,21%20 years60,21%9.3/10 (73 reviews)1,549.00 €
2,178.57 € per litre
Velier Caroni 1st Employees John „D“ Eversley HTR 1996 22 years · 66,5%22 years66,5%9.3/10 (55 reviews)1,780.74 €
2,508.20 € per litre
Velier Caroni Paradise #4 1996 24 years · 68,1%24 years68,1%9.3/10 (30 reviews)2,830.00 €
4,008.57 € per litre
Velier Caroni 35th Release Heavy Trinidad Rum (Trespassers) HTR 1996 20 years · 70,1%20 years70,1%9.2/10 (132 reviews)1,061.00 €
1,481.43 € per litre
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Nita „Nitz“ Hogan 2000 20 years · 65,2%20 years65,2%9.2/10 (83 reviews)1,293.03 €
1,811.47 € per litre
La Maison & Velier Caroni Navy Rum 100th Anniversary „Replica“ HTR 2000 Navy Rum18 years · 51,4%18 years51,4%8.8/10 (296 reviews)385.00 €
550.00 € per litre

25 of the 301 bottlings with at least 10 ratings are listed here; the rest are in the catalog above.

Head to head

100% Trinidad Rum 21 or Navy Rum 100th Anniversary „Replica“ HTR?

Here you see how the same people rated two rums from this selection.

100% Trinidad Rum 21 589.74 €incl. shipping · 808.20 € per litre Navy Rum 100th Anniversary „Replica“ HTR 385.00 €incl. shipping · 550.00 € per litre

Of 155 people who rated both, 124 gave 100% Trinidad Rum 21 the higher score, 19 gave it to Navy Rum 100th Anniversary „Replica“ HTR.

  • 124100% Trinidad Rum 21 higher
  • 12same score
  • 19Navy Rum 100th Anniversary „Replica“ HTR higher

Your Match Score estimates which of the two is more likely to suit your taste.

How the community rates Caroni

The median score is 8.8, which means “Very good”.

Distribution of all 10,791 ratings across 623 rums
  • 9Excellent 34%
  • 8Very good 56%
  • 7Good 7%
  • 6Pleasant 1%
  • 5Average <1%
  • 4Drinkable <1%
  • Poor or worse <1%

See the full rating guide

Flavour profile of Caroni

Flavour profile of Caroni
Top aromas · nose & palate
Tar69%
Rubber61%
Woody54%
Vanilla41%
Roasted · palate only31%
Caramel30%
Tropical fruits · nose only29%

433 of 623 bottles have detailed tasting notes · Click an aroma to explore similar rums

What tasters say about Caroni

cigares
cigares Sep 2026 Auto-translated
La Maison Du Whisky Caroni The Anthologists LMDW 2027 Flag Series Trinidad 26 YO 1999
8.6/10

A rum tasted at WLP 2026. A Caroni-like nose with mechanical workshop vibes, tar, and rubber. Also some old varnished wood with plenty of ripe and fresh tropical fruits. The attack on the palate is full and powerful, maybe not quite balanced. Then the fruits are there and hold …

Skyfly
Skyfly Sep 2026 Auto-translated
Distilia Caroni I Movimenti Scherzo 1999
9.2/10

A thoroughly well-balanced Caroni where nothing is missing: dirty aromas, various (mostly tropical) fruits, menthol, and molasses syrup come together to form a brilliant composition. Some might find it a bit sharp-edged; for me, that just comes with this ABV and a Caroni! PS: …

TheJona'Spirits
TheJona'Spirits Aug 2026 Auto-translated
Spirit of the day Caroni Trinidad Only, Birthday #1 1997
9.0/10

👀 What a color! From dark brown to black with dark green highlights. Gorgeous. 👃 Lots of empyreumatic markers (burnt wood, carbonized smells, old garage, rubber, wood smoke...) and medicinal notes. The fruity aspect shows on very concentrated black fruits and berries, a bit of …

Jakob
Jakob Aug 2026 Auto-translated
Velier Caroni 2nd Employees Kevon „Slippery“ Moreno HTR 1998
8.6/10

Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: For me, this falls somewhat short of the first employees, as Sarge & Co. are much more convincing. But mind you, we are talking about criticism at the highest level. The rating remains the same - undoubtedly a very good rum, but even that is …

Jakob
Jakob Aug 2026 Auto-translated
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Basdeo „Dicky“ Ramsarran HTR 2000
8.8/10

Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: On the nose we are greeted by a striking fruitiness that increasingly combines with Caroni-typical notes of rubber, tar and some caramel. On the palate, the aforementioned aromas pair with a rich menthol note, the high alcohol content also comes …

Mirco
Mirco Top voice Aug 2026 Auto-translated
Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 21 1996
9.2/10

A great Caroni that combines the best from the 1996 batches in a balanced blend. Typical dirty notes such as tar and rubber meet dark fruit, spice and a deep, mature complexity. Powerful, multi-layered and full of character, a prime example of the Caroni style and definitely one …

Jakob
Jakob Aug 2026 Auto-translated
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
9.3/10

Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Brings the whole package - elegant sweetness, dirty notes, spice, wood... sensational depth. For me one of the best representatives ever from the legendary distillery. Caroni Champions League.

Jakob
Jakob Dec 2025 Auto-translated
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Dayanand „Yunkoo“ Balloon 1998
8.6/10

Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Intense HTR Caroni, wood, spices, tobacco and menthol flank the typical tar, rubber and gasoline aroma profile of the Heavy Trinidad Rums. Very good representative of the 1998 Caroni vintage.

Best value from Caroni

All

Highest community ratings for the price, from live offers.

TBRC Caroni HTR

TBRC Caroni HTR
Caroni
TBRC Caroni HTR
8.4/10 (45 reviews)
Trinidad · 20 years · 54.7%
199.00 €
incl. shipping · 398.00 € per litre

Caroni in numbers

Caroni in the community's collections

14,566 bottles logged in tasters' collections, including opened and emptied ones.

+341 additions in the last 3 months.

Additions per month over the last 12 months; dark bars: the last 3.

as of

Caroni vintages

Single cask bottlings often carry the year of distillation. The vintage page shows what else went into cask that same year.

2005 2003 2002 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 Explore Rums by Vintage Year
Watch

Caroni in our guide video

The video starts at 2:20, “Why there's no way around Caroni”. Spoken in German, with English subtitles.

Country page: Trinidad
Trinidad Rum: The Complete Guide, from 22,000 Tastings

To play the video, allow YouTube content. The click opens your cookie settings.

Show 22 chapters
  1. 0:00 Burnt tires for several hundred euros
  2. 2:20 Why there's no way around Caroni
  3. 3:05 Trinidad in numbers: almost 80 % score 8 or higher
  4. 3:48 Bicycle inner tube: the aroma, measured
  5. 4:30 History: producers, column still, tires
  6. 5:47 The 2000 appraisal and the tire casks
  7. 6:55 Where the tire note comes from, with Steffen Mayer
  8. 8:12 The end of Caroni and Velier
  9. 9:10 2008: the auction without a bid
  10. 10:06 Angostura and TDL: the distillery still running
  11. 11:22 Angostura blend vs. independent TDL
  12. 12:33 Caroni vs. TDL: just a quarter point
  13. 13:24 The ladder, step 1: Kraken
  14. 14:46 On a budget: Angostura 1919 and Zaya
  15. 15:27 My value tip: independent TDL
  16. 16:08 Wishlist favourite and a tip for connoisseurs
  17. 17:36 Ten Cane: Trinidad's pot stills
  18. 18:25 Caroni: where to start, shop or auction
  19. 19:47 The legends
  20. 20:33 Price alert and Match Score
  21. 21:24 My advice: not a ranking, a map
  22. 22:40 Barbados and your country for the next episode

RumX Guide

Caroni, explained

What is Caroni rum?

Caroni rum is rum from the closed Caroni distillery in Trinidad, and since it will never make more, every bottle today comes from a finite, shrinking stock. The last Caroni distillery was established around 1918, though rum from earlier Caroni stills is recorded back to 1887. Tate & Lyle bought the sugar and rum operations in 1936, and the Trinidad government nationalised the company in stages through the 1970s.

How much the stock was worth was fiercely disputed even before the end: around 2000, one valuation put some 18,500 casks at about 3.25 million US dollars, others claimed many times more.

What is Velier Caroni?

Velier Caroni are the single-distillery vintages that the Italian bottler Velier released from its share of the stock: around 1,300 casks bought between 2005 and 2011, a small share next to the several lots that The Main Rum Company and others bought. In 2008 Velier shipped 371 of its casks to Demerara Distillers in Guyana, while the rest kept ageing in Trinidad.

Those releases, from heavy-mark vintages like the HTR 1992 to the Paradise #6 from the Guyana stock and the famous 39th Release, The Last, turned Caroni from a forgotten Trinidad workhorse into the most mythologised name in rum.

What does Caroni rum taste like?

Its famous heavy mark is dark, oily and almost tarry, often described as diesel-like, with smoke and salted fruit; in Velier's bottlings the RumX community keeps naming tar, rubber, wood and burnt sugar. That heavy mark is the cult favourite, bottled today as HTR, Heavy Trinidad Rum.

The diesel reputation is only half the story, though. Over the decades Caroni ran a cast-iron still, a wooden Coffey still, a column from the Esperanza estate, a Blair two-column, a pot still and a German Gebr. Herrmann column, making rum from very heavy to very light. A 1950s advert even called it more like whisky, dry and delicate.

Frequently asked questions about Caroni

Yes, at least in part: Caroni supplied the British Royal Navy in the mid-20th century, most likely with its heavy style. That dark, tarry character is exactly what collectors chase today.

In 2003: the company, Caroni (1975) Ltd, closed on 31 July 2003, and the last distillation was in 2002 or 2003, depending on the source. Its rum arm RDTT, which already existed in 2000, carried on to sell off the remaining stock, but distillation never resumed and the equipment was removed.

That is disputed. With Trinidad’s sugar industry losing money, the government tried to sell 49 percent of Caroni around 2000, with Angostura as the preferred bidder; some sources say the deal was never completed, others record a sale in 2001. What is documented is that in 2010 Angostura took over the rest of the stock, by one estimate some 1,800 casks, which made it the largest buyer.

There are currently 496 offers for Caroni across 34 partner shops, including My Old Cantinetta, Wein-Riegger, Rhumlicious, Rum Stylez, Inn-out-shop, Whiskytempel. A 0.7 l bottle starts at 187.86 € incl. shipping. On each product page, offers are sorted by total price including shipping.

No. Every partner shop pays us the same commission rate, so we sort offers purely by the total price including shipping. The scores come from the community, not from us or the shops.
All Caroni discussions ›
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Rating guide

Every score is the median of members’ ratings, from 0 to 10. A 7 is already a recommendation to buy.

Share of 11,239 rums with at least 4 ratings, calculated on October 30, 2026. Scale and calculation in detail ›