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Thompson Bros. Caroni HTR 1997
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Sip this one neat and give it time — the nose plays a bit shy, then the palate hits with everything a 1997 Caroni promises. Rubber, tar, burnt cask and dark chocolate wrapped around ripe tropical fruit and caramel. Members call it "more on the dirty side of the Caroni spectrum," well balanced, and at 61.9% it does not hide the alcohol.
The community says- Classic Caroni funk
- Great balance
- Long palate
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The look inside the bottle
How does Thompson Bros. Caroni HTR 1997 taste?
Summarized by AI from 30 community reviews.
Powerful, dirty-funk 1997 Caroni sipper Genuinely loved by the people who tasted it — a powerful, complex 1997 Caroni that opens up on the palate. Not quite the very top tier, but few complaints.
Aroma profileCaroni fans who love diesel-funk, rubber and high ABV
Beginners and anyone put off by heat or rubbery, tarry notes
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
16 of 30 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
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Community voices
What does the community say?
30 community reviews
15 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
Top 10% of Trinidad rumsTop 19% at Caroni
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Ranges include their upper bound: “7–8” means above 7 up to and including 8. See the full rating guide
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Most helpful positive review
26.08.2025 Retasting this nice release and I still like it a lot. ----------------- 11.06.2019 Enjoying some samples in good company. Colour Dark in colour. Nose Wood, light roasted, light tar, faint rubber, light caramel, spice, light dried fruit, light cherry. Palate Light oily, wood, light roasted, fruits, light cherry, light orange, light tar, faint coffee, spice, faint honey. Finish Long, light oily, wood, fruits, light berries, light tar, spice, faint floral, faint coffee. Needs to rest for a good while to really release all its flavours.
Review by Mirka
Most helpful mixed review
It hits hard on the alcohol level.
Review by zabo
First of all, big thanks to Mopar Rules for winning the bottle at auction and sharing it. I got pretty curious about this bottling and am grateful to have been part of the share. In hindsight, I should have taken more than 5cl. I just find it super tasty, it’s quite restrained on the nose but develops into an insanely good dram in the mouth.
Review by Joachim Guger
A really strong Caroni nose. Lots of rubber, overripe mango, the alcohol doesn't want to hide. 😜 Very complex and not for casual drinking. Goat cheese. In the mouth then very full, oily, very spicy. Old condom. Really great finish, extremely peppery at the start, warms like a 🔥. Spicy, caramel. As expected a great 1997 Caroni (top alongside the Bristol 1997-2015). Very strong, lots of Caroni, complex, requires full attention. At the end of the day, though, the fully tropical matured Veliers are still something else...
Review by Leo Krüper
Super 97er Caroni
Review by mto75
I was really looking forward to the Caroni octopus! On the nose, dried fruit, rubber, baking mix, butterscotch. Dirty notes on the palate, tropical fruit, burnt-out barrel. I really like I really like it, reminds me most of the Le-blog-a-Roger Caroni, which the Kraken surpasses!
Review by Johannes
Rather on the dirty side. Finish could be longer.
Review by Thunderbird
I had to wait a long time for a chance to try this Caroni (thanks to @moparules). It’s another very good 97 Caroni, but doesn’t quite reach the Valinch&Mallet! It’s not quite as complete, but that’s nitpicking at a high level and borderline. But the differences are noticeable in direct comparison.
Review by cigares
An incredibly fruity nose for a Caroni. But of course, the mechanical workshop notes that give this rum its complexity are not far behind. The wood does its job to perfection here. The initial taste is a little harsh and unbalanced, but then harmony sets in for a beautiful finish. Beautiful, long, and balanced, all the aromas are there until the end and fade together. A very fruity and balanced Caroni for a 1997.
Review by Alex1981
Thompson tasting at AA with Phil. Woah, what a beast! Powerful, heavy, complex. Well integrated symphony of rubber, fruits, alcohol & wood. Stays with you forever and invites for a more thorough tasting. Wonderful!
Review by Tom Buteneers
More on the dirty side of the Caroni spectrum, good balance
Review by Jeremy Roger 🇫🇷
Very powerful but balanced! Pure happiness!!! A monster ❤
Review by Mopar Rules
This is an amazing rum and can easily compete with the bespoke Velier bottlings. A very good Paradise substitute. A bit shy on the nose, but nevertheless very complex and well balanced it explodes on the palate. One of the very few rums that not even hold the promise of the nose on the palate but are even better (other then our french friends who promise a lot on the nose). A fantastic rum. Mmh, shall I pour the split back to the bottle and keep it? I should, eh?
Review by Lukas Jäger
Nice Caroni, which unlike many other non-losers doesn't have to hide at all! After a rather fruity nose, the palate comes with concentrated power and a lot of dirt. Rubber, tar and leather, plus plenty of wood, that's fun. Not the top shelf of Caroni, but at least at the upper level!
Review by Schnubbii
Already great and rounded on the nose, with the typical Caroni markers. On the palate a nice sweetness, with the Caroni diesel funk, brutally good balance between sweetness, dirty and earthy notes, and slight menthol. The finish is medium length. I'm not a big Caroni fan, but this Kraken really grabs me. For me one of the nicest Caronis I've tried so far. Many thanks to Stefan for the split!
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Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 9.0/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
An iconic bottle now, that may have started the whole genre of fish labels. A typical and very nice 1997, that may lacks a few complexities to be truly great. Still absolutely nothing wrong with a bottle of this.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by Tasting Bro's
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Community shelf
13 bottles logged by 11 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
7% opened, 0 emptied.
What did the community pay for Thompson Bros. Caroni HTR 1997?
Community paid 421–552 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 414 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
13 purchased · 31 tasted · 21 wishlist · as of
Details about Thompson Bros. Caroni HTR 1997
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Thompson Bros., at 61.9%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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