Aroma visualization from community tastings
Valinch & Mallet Caroni The Spirit of Art 2022 1997
Consensus is warm here: most tasters call this one of the better continental 1997 Caronis, "sehr rund" and well-balanced, with a couple noting it doesn't go quite as dark or heavy as they'd want. Expect the classic dirty side — rubber, tar, leather, varnish — cut by burnt sugar and yellow tropical fruit. The 57.9% alcohol sits well-integrated, not hot.
The community says- Well-balanced dirt and fruit
- Alcohol well-integrated
- But: Could go darker
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The look inside the bottle
How does Valinch & Mallet Caroni The Spirit of Art 2022 1997 taste?
Aggregated from 45 community reviews.
Balanced, dirty-fruity continental Caroni sipper Loved by most as a rounded, well-balanced 1997 Caroni — dirt, wood and fruit in harmony. A few wish it hit deeper and darker; a small vocal group rate it top-tier.
Caroni fans who like dirt balanced with fruit
Anyone wanting sweet, fruit-forward easy rum
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
15 of 45 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
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Highlights from the community
How is Valinch & Mallet Caroni The Spirit of Art 2022 1997 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.8 sits in the “Very good” band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
0% rate it between 6 and 8. 9 selected write-ups from 45 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
This Caroni is right up my street. Wonderfully balanced, fruit and dirt in equal measure. Probably the best '97 continental-matured Caroni I've had in a glass. Now, if it were a little deeper, more powerful on the dark side of power, it would be phenomenal. As it is, it's "just" great. Nevertheless, I "need" a whole bottle of it. Because I don't think a better continental 97 will be bottled again. Many thanks, DrDjango, for the fine sample!
Review by Joachim Guger
Lacquer, petrol, deep caramel, spices. Citrus fruits bring freshness.😍 Crunchy and powerful in the mouth. Beautiful finish. Petrol with lemon juice. A very round, fine gentleman's Caroni that absolutely does not hide its origins. Top league 1997.😀😀😀😀 Thanks to Bonn!!!
Review by Righrum
Unexpectedly good Caroni. At Milano whisky festival I was disappointed, but I've got a sample that I tried tonight and it's really good. A nice balance of dirtiness (tar, rubber) and fruit sweetness (yellow fruits). Nice selection
Review by DomM
Nice complexity on the nose. This bottling has some additional herbal notes added to the 97 profile making it a standout in a positive way. Menthol-y and spicey on the palate with quite some dirt and wood. Not much fruits going on here. Some sweetness works well with the darker notes. Nice cask. Edit: after some oxidation, the second half of the sample has some fruits on the palate, too. Even better balanced now. Really nice one out of the continental 97s.
Review by Tschusikowsky
Great bottling. The nose is still restrained, but very digestible on the palate. It is quite strong on the palate but is coated in sweetness, making it a great overall combination. Very tasty.
Review by Mentalo
Starker 1997er Caroni. Sehr gut ausbalanciert mit dreckigen Noten, Süße und fruchtigen Noten. Dazu ist der Alkohol auch gut eingebunden. Einfach noch mal etwas besser/runder als die anderen 1997er die ich bislang im Glas hatte.
Review by mto75
good, very round 97, which I like even better on the palate than on the nose!
Review by Johannes
Very well-rounded Caroni, but without being boring!
Review by J Suh
Very good Caroni - what you expect from the distillery. The classic petrol hit to the mouth. Some nice salinity and lemon juice. Doesn’t exceed expectations so I’m not looking to seek out more of this, though it’s nice to see a relatively good expression - just, unfortunately, I want a bit more.
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Market value
Avg. community purchase price 488 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Valinch & Mallet Caroni The Spirit of Art 2022 1997
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Valinch & Mallet, at 57,9%.
Community purchases
28 bottles logged by 23 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
14% opened, 2 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Valinch & Mallet Caroni The Spirit of Art 2022 1997?
Community paid 357–602 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
28 purchased · 46 tasted · 22 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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