Rum Sponge Clarendoni 1997
For seasoned enthusiasts only: a 25‑year, 60% Clarendon–Caroni blend that’s dry, dirty and deeply fruity. RumX members rave about its harmony, massive complexity and endless finish. A rare 95‑bottle experiment.
- Huge complexity
- Dirty & fruity
- Exceptionally long finish
Details about Rum Sponge Clarendoni 1997
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
How does Rum Sponge Clarendoni 1997 taste?
Aggregated from 44 community reviews.
Mad, dirty-fruity Clarendoni powerhouse For seasoned enthusiasts only: a 25‑year, 60% Clarendon–Caroni blend that’s dry, dirty and deeply fruity. RumX members rave about its harmony, massive complexity and endless finish. A rare 95‑bottle experiment.
Seasoned ester-heads who already enjoy both old Caroni and funky Clarendon and want an intense, dry, high-ABV blend that pushes both styles to the limit.
Beginners, those sensitive to 60% ABV, or drinkers who dislike dirty rubber/tar notes, tannic dryness or paying premium prices for ultra-limited experimental bottlings.
How is Rum Sponge Clarendoni 1997 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 9.0 lands squarely in the "Excellent" band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Rum reviews
A selection of the most popular reviews from our community. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by RumTaTa
Tasted at the 12th GRF This experiment has definitely succeeded! Both stems of the individual old and heavy bRums are recognizable and harmonize very well together. Priced unfortunately also very ambitious.
Review by Aussierumfan
A very unique blend which I have been keen to try for a while, best of 2 worlds! On the nose there is clearly fruity, funky jamaica but there is also some dirty caroni coming through in the back ground. It's very flavoursome! Quite complex with well integrated alcahol. Fruity (which I guess is the clarendon) then spices, tar and nice wood. Really liked this one. With only 95 bottles produced its quite a rare bottling.
Review by TheRhumhoe
Congratulations to Decadent Drinks for creating such a daring blend. The nose is very deep and complex, combining the two origins to perfection: on the one hand, we have the dirty hydrocarbon and smoky wood notes of Caroni, and the fruity, fermented, medicinal and spicy notes of Clarendon on the other. The blend is very harmonious and structured. The attack on the palate is intense, with both powerful dirty notes and more spicy, gourmand notes. Vanilla, cocoa, coffee, caramel and tropical fruit mingle well with tar, rubber, tannic oak and notes of leather and pepper. The alcohol is very well integrated. The two worlds are well balanced, never managing to overpower each other to the delight of the taste buds. The finish is long, tannic, woody, dry, toasty and roasted on walnut and hazelnut, spicy on licorice and chili, bitter on cocoa, leather and mocha. Tar, rubber and menthol are reminiscent of Caroni, but with the added complexity of Clarendon. An astonishing, tasty and masterful blend.
Review by Mirco
Sensational blend! I like both Caroni and Clarendons very much, so I was very excited here. Works wonderfully, very complementary!
Review by Maxence
Clarendon and Caroni ... two amazing distilleries but how a blend of these would taste ? Angus answered the question with this bold bottling. We can clearly feel aromas from both distilleries in perfect harmony and balance. This rum is complete madness !! 😋🤩
Review by Alex1981
Horny experiment! Both Clarendon and Caroni character come through, dirty & ripe bananas. Horny if you ignore the price
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4197 It's very rare that blends like this, in my mind, very bold choice of rums. This one however Hits the nail on the head. The two mice very well and you get the cross cross of flavours from the two destilleres. Bold blend that pulls all the right strings.
Review by Oliver
Wow. The blend works really well!
Review by mto75
was already very excited about the Clarendoni. Such a blend is so far (to my knowledge) unique. On the nose, the EMB dominates first, with a little air in the glass I also have the Caroni. A 97 Caroni works really well here because it also brings a lot of fruity. On the palate, the two also play well together, dirty notes, dried fruit, barrel/tannins, espresso. There should be more such bold blends!
Review by Thunderbird
What an experiment and taste experience. On the nose, the fruit aromas of the Clarendon alternate with the dirty aromas of the Caroni, the longer it lingers in the glass, the Caroni flavors prevail. On the palate, a true explosion of flavors that overwhelm you at first...but in a positive sense! It has an amazing complexity and the more it rolls over the tongue you keep discovering new facets! The finish is long and intense. This experiment has definitely succeeded 👍🏻👍🏻
Review by Serge
The blend works very well. On the nose for me still a tad better than on the palate. On the other hand, it tastes no better to me than an old EMB or a 97 Caroni. So a nice experiment that produces an excellent rum, but doesn't improve on the two individual profiles. In all honesty, the 97 Sponge EMB actually tasted better to me.
Review by Leo Tomczak
Fair review Cool stuff. Hats off that someone dares to dazzle something like this. In the nose Clarendon in the mouth Caroni. But very nicely blended. Great experience
Review by Buddudharma
Very nice blend, both components come through equally and complement each other. The fruity notes of a navy blend are naturally missing, but this is still a great rum with a high recognition value.
Review by Joachim Guger
Super cool nose! The finish works perfectly. Warm, powerful, fuuuuuuunky.😃 Great mouthfeel, furry. Warms the whole throat when it goes down. A great rum movie. Won't be available in this form very often.😎 Thanks to Bonn for this truly great sample!!! 😀😀😀😀
Review by DomM
Very nice bottling. Both rums are heavy weights, which work excellent in this blend. Well balanced, yet both very distinct and present.
Community purchases
26 bottles logged by 52,000+ RumX members. The ratio of closed / opened / emptied, indicates whether this rum is meant to be drunk or is a collector's item.
Also on the wishlist of 33 members.
About the Caroni distillery
The Caroni distillery is located in Trinidad. Rums from Caroni have been reviewed 10,072 times with an average of 8.8/10.
To Caroni →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Caroni Rum Sponge No. 16 1998
Caroni Rum Sponge No. 16 1998Fruity, lighter-style old Caroni
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992Caroni essence at full power
Velier Caroni Paradise #4 1996
Velier Caroni Paradise #4 1996World‑class, intense 1996 Caroni
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum (Old Whisky) HTR 1996
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum (Old Whisky) HTR 1996World‑class, dirty‑sweet Caroni powerhouse
Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 31 (Navy Blend Rum HQNB)
Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 31 (Navy Blend Rum HQNB)World‑class, minty-fruity Navy beast
Distilia Enmore Floral Rum Series Victoria Amazonica (Catawiki) REV 1994
Distilia Enmore Floral Rum Series Victoria Amazonica (Catawiki) REV 1994World‑class dark Demerara heavyweight
Don't miss out on any more deals on Rum Sponge Clarendoni 1997.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver — together with Jakob, Robert and Lukas, we started RumX in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as a digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence — without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →
