Aroma visualization from community tastings
Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum
"I was really prepared for this to be horrible," one member admits — that near-black colour scares everyone off before the first sip. But the glass tells a calmer story: tar, wet oak and menthol up front, ripe yellow fruit and a touch of burnt sugar underneath. At 61.2% the alcohol sits surprisingly well integrated. Not peak Caroni, but a decent, balanced pour once you get past the look.
The community says- Tar and menthol
- Integrated 61%
- But: Alarming dark colour
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The look inside the bottle
How does Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum taste?
Aggregated from 13 community reviews.
Dark, tarry Caroni that drinks better than it looks Consensus is cautious relief — the dark colour raises eyebrows and a few wonder about the cause, yet most find it a solid, well-behaved Caroni rather than a great one.
Caroni fans chasing tar and menthol
newcomers — one taster found Caroni too extreme
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
5 of 13 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
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Highlights from the community
How is Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 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?
8% rate it between 6 and 8. 6 selected write-ups from 13 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by cigares
A very dark color, reminiscent of 1993's "The Beast". The nose is marked by wet wood, tar aromas and yellow fruit alcohol. Some fruit in the background too. The palate is much better than the nose, still with overripe apple alcohol, but also a slight menthol and maritime tar (from the deck of a ship). The wood, very present on the nose, is much more discreet here. The finish is long, as you'd expect from a Caroni, with pronounced aromas of sweet wood (licorice) that lend an almost sweet edge that's very pleasant. The empty glass sent me to an old wooden building that had suffered the ravages of time in the tropics. The color of this rum was a little frightening, as was its nose (too marked by damp wood), but in the end it's a Caroni, admittedly special, but quite good. I loved its chewy woodiness, which took me back to my childhood.
Review by Leo Tomczak
Color is of course total crap, but the taste is quite solid. Regular Caroni without much excitement.
Review by Mirco
At first I was worried that I had a beast in my glass. Because of the totally black color, of course. As you might expect, the rum is very dark in flavor. Intense wood and roasted aromas, but there is still some fruit to be found.
Review by Johannes
The color suggests nothing good... But in fact, the nose and palate reveal mild, typical 98 bourbon notes. I like it very much! Would be very interesting to find out more about the vintage and the small number of bottles!
Review by Jakob
Archetypische HTR-Aromen umgeben von etwas Holz, dunklen Gewürzen und einem Anflug von gebranntem Zucker. Der Alkohol wiederum wirkt beeindruckend gut integriert. Kein Komplexitätsmonster, aber ein durchaus stimmiger, weil ausgewogener, kontinentaler Caroni.
Review by Krogulczyk
Its my first Caroni, and i think i need more time with getting used to it’s characteristics. I love Haiti and Jamaica but Caroni is just too extreme for me. I will edit that review someday
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
I was really prepared for this to be horrible. Especially the colour suggested more The Beast suffering. It also is not able to reach Caroni excellence, but it is really okay at the end. We have seen much worse! Worth a try for the prize of the most mysterious caroni bottling :P
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
Avg. community purchase price 271 €
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 Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Forgotten Gems, at 61,2%.
Community purchases
4 bottles logged by 4 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
0% opened, 0 emptied and repurchased.
4 purchased · 13 tasted · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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