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3ac11260-ab92-11ed-97e2-2fd3ac741241Trinidad Caroni Decadent Drinks LTD
Caroni Rum Sponge No. 16 1998 70cl bottle
Bottle
View 2
Aged rum · 24 years · 60,2%

Caroni Rum Sponge No. 16 1998

Peach, mirabelle and a herbal, almost juniper-like edge lead here — an unusually fruity Caroni that several tasters say only really shows its Trinidad DNA in the finish. The 1998 heavy signature is barely there; a few even mistook it for a whisky-finished dram. The nose gets the most love; the palate carries a touch of sourness some couldn't shake.

The community says
  • Fruity, unusual nose
  • Peach and plum
  • Keep in mind: Sour note on palate

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The look inside the bottle

How does Caroni Rum Sponge No. 16 1998 taste?

From community reviews · summarized with AI

Fruity, light-style Caroni, sour on the palate A Caroni that breaks the usual 1998 mold — bright peach and plum fruit, light rather than heavy, with a slightly sour palate that divides the room. The nose wins people over.

Perfect for

Caroni collectors who want an off-profile, fruit-forward bottle

Less suitable for

Anyone chasing the heavy tar-and-rubber Caroni signature

Experience level · Connoisseur (5/5)

Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat

Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Flavor profile
Sweet & dessert
Wood
Dried fruit
Roasted & dark
Fruit
Funk & ester
Vegetal & floral

Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family

5 of 17 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums

Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›

What does the community say?

8.1/10 Very good

17 community reviews

Rating scale & review checks

On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.

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  • Community: 310,000+ ratings from members, not from shops. No purchase required.
  • Calculation: One member, one vote. The score is the median, so extreme single ratings carry less weight, and appears from 4 ratings.
  • Checks: Automated checks look for unusual patterns. Our team and moderators review reported ratings.
How ratings are made and how we check them ›

The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.

Rating distribution

8 selected written reviews

The distribution above includes all 17 ratings, including those without text.

Review by Tschusikowsky

Most helpful positive review

Tschusikowsky
May 2026571 reviewsSwitzerland
8.2/10

In the past, this would probably have been a standard bottling that nobody would have pulled out from behind the stove. But that's not the case and the profile has become rarer. You get your money's worth here. The nose in particular is a dream, absolutely to fall in love with. More fruity than the gooey 98 profile. In the mouth it is nowhere near this level. Also a certain acidity. Good medium-long finish. Is it worth the money? Boh, but it's good.

Review by Leo Krüper

Most helpful mixed review

Leo Krüper
May 2025982 reviewsGermany
7.1/10

Tastes like it has a whisky finish.

Review by Filip Šikula

Filip Šikula
Oct 2025842 reviewsCzech
8.4/10

Not all Caroni rums are the same. This one is sweeter, you can't really talk about technical notes. I had a tiny sample of the nose so I can't judge that, on the palate you can taste sweetness, wood, leather and a bit of mint. It's not bad, but you expect more from Caroni. Edit. A proper sample offered much, much more.

Review by Pavel Ungr, RumRock

Pavel Ungr, RumRock
Pavel Ungr, RumRock
Jan 20251,562 reviewsCzech
8.1/10

Vintage 1998. I rate it 8.1 out of 10, very good rum.

Review by Jakob

Jakob
Apr 20251,671 reviewsSwitzerland
8.1/10

Quite an unusual Caroni with lots of fruit and even a hint of herbal notes that point towards juniper. With increasing oxidation, the fruity notes of peach and mirabelle plum assert themselves more. In direct comparison with other 1998 Caronis in crosstasting, this release stands out somewhat because the DNA is quite unusual for Trinidad and is more reminiscent of the light style than heavy. Good level.

Review by Pavel Spacek

Pavel Spacek
Nov 20241,886 reviewsCzech
6.7/10

It tastes like if you use tea bag for second time. Not comparable to Velier Caroni. In addition - the rum got sour taste (I hate it) ... Caroni is a distillery from Trinidad, producing at the time of its greatest glory a rum that was added at a ratio of 1:10 to the namornik blend. It was too strong and strange to be pleasant on the tongue. In 2000, the distillery ceased production and closed. Only in 2010 did tasters appear who took a liking to the rum because of its special taste. And the interest grew. Caroni belongs to the category of "you need to try before you die" rums. I recommend it, Caroni is a truly unique rum.

Review by Johannes

Johannes
Apr 20253,221 reviewsGermany
8.2/10

Once again a rum that falls outside the '98 grid. Rather fruity, apricot, little caroni.

Review by Stefano Caroni

Stefano Caroni
Apr 20257 reviewsGermany
7.8/10

Caroni only in the finish

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Community shelf

9 bottles logged by 8 collectors.

A collector's bottle.

11% opened, 1 emptied.

8 sealed 0 open 1 emptied

What did the community pay for Caroni Rum Sponge No. 16 1998?

Avg. community purchase price 430 €.

What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.

9 purchased · 17 tasted · 3 wishlist · as of

Details about Caroni Rum Sponge No. 16 1998

A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Decadent Drinks LTD, at 60,2%.

DistilleryCaroni
CountryTrinidad
Raw materialMolasses
ABV60,2%
Age24 years
Vintage1998
Limited edition242 bottles
Volume70cl

Read on in the RumX Guide

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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 11,223 rums with at least 4 ratings, calculated on October 26, 2026. Scale and calculation in detail ›