Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum
For experienced palates: a 22‑year continental Caroni at 61.2% that rewards attention with tar, wet wood, dark spices and a hint of burnt sugar and fruit. RumX members see it as a solid, slightly mysterious take on classic 1998-style Caroni, more balanced than the inky colour suggests and good value for a rare bottling.
- Classic Caroni profile
- Well integrated ABV
- Long dark finish
Details about Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
How does Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum taste?
Aggregated from 12 community reviews.
Dark, woody, nicely balanced Caroni For experienced palates: a 22‑year continental Caroni at 61.2% that rewards attention with tar, wet wood, dark spices and a hint of burnt sugar and fruit. RumX members see it as a solid, slightly mysterious take on classic 1998-style Caroni, more balanced than the inky colour suggests and good value for a rare bottling.
Caroni fans and experienced rum drinkers who enjoy dark, tarry, wood-driven profiles and want a high-strength, continental-aged Caroni that’s solid rather than ultra-complex.
Beginners, anyone sensitive to high ABV, or drinkers who dislike tar, heavy wood notes or are wary of rums with unusually dark colour and possible light doctoring.
How is Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict — 8.4 lands squarely in the "Very good" 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 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"
Community purchases
11 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.
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:
Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997
Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997World‑class, fruity garage‑style Caroni
Cave Guildive Caroni Trinidad Rum HTR 1998
Cave Guildive Caroni Trinidad Rum HTR 1998Elegant, balanced Caroni dirt at 61%
Perola Caroni Bellamy‘s Reserve 1998
Perola Caroni Bellamy‘s Reserve 1998Balanced, fruity-dirty Caroni powerhouse
Adelphi Caroni Ulrich Swiss 1998
Adelphi Caroni Ulrich Swiss 1998Corman Collins New Yarmouth Rum New Yarmouth (The Auld Alliance) 1994
Corman Collins New Yarmouth Rum New Yarmouth (The Auld Alliance) 1994Big, complex 1994 New Yarmouth hitter
CoR Caroni Impressions (Selected by Steffen Mayer) 1998
CoR Caroni Impressions (Selected by Steffen Mayer) 1998Elegant, intense Caroni for seasoned fans
Don't miss out on any more deals on Forgotten Gems Caroni Traditional Column Rum.
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 →
