Aroma visualization from community tastings
SMWS Caroni R13.5 Captivating, Robust and Nimble (Bar 1802) 1998
Tasters land in a good place on this one, with a twist most Caronis don't have: it reads slightly peated. Expect the usual tar, smoke and diesel wrapped around dried fruit, dark chocolate and espresso, finishing dry with iodine, leather and mint. A few note it's cleaner and less "dirty" than a classic Caroni, and not quite at the top Velier tier — but a very good pour that whisky drinkers will find extra intriguing.
The community says- Smoky peated character
- Tar and dried fruit
- But: Cask-strength heat
View price history
10 more payment methodsShopping safely on RumX Returns & cancellation
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
The look inside the bottle
How does SMWS Caroni R13.5 Captivating, Robust and Nimble (Bar 1802) 1998 taste?
Aggregated from 22 community reviews.
Dry, smoky, faintly peated old Caroni Widely liked as a smoky, peaty, dry Caroni with tar, dried fruit and dark chocolate. Not the very best 1998 to some, but long, well-integrated and quietly captivating.
Caroni fans and whisky drinkers who want smoke, peat and tar
Anyone after a sweet, easy sipper or wary of high ABV
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
10 of 22 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
How is SMWS Caroni R13.5 Captivating, Robust and Nimble (Bar 1802) 1998 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.8 sits in the “Very good” band. 95% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 4% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
95% rate it 8 or higher. 7 selected write-ups from 22 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A Caroni that drinks like a dream. The nose shows beautiful influences from peat, petrol notes (gasoline, tar, rubber), but also caramel candy, dark chocolate, coffee, raisin, and spices. The whole is rich and intense but offers a lot of softness and indulgence. The attack on the palate continues in a linear way. Leather, coffee, licorice, and spices offer a powerful mix but are quickly softened by milk chocolate and caramel. There aren’t as many dirty notes as usual for Caroni (although the gasoline is clearly noticeable), but the peat and tannins take a more dominant place. The alcohol is superbly well integrated. The finish is long, still tangled among the smoky notes, the combo of chocolate and caramel, but also fruits, more exotic and more pronounced than in the rest of the tasting. A very convincing Caroni, round and well-balanced, offering a nice showcase of Trinidad terroir.
Review by Skyfly
Sehr guter Caroni, der in meinen Augen nicht mit den Top Releases von Velier mithalten kann. Für Whisky Liebhaber wird diese Abfüllung jedoch nochmal extra interessant sein mit dem ganzen Torf und Raucheinfluss.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Better enjoy a few samples before I have to pick up my wife very late in the evening today. Listening to some nice Trance on Spotify. Nose Wood, lightly roasted, faint smoke, faint mint, leather, light tannins, raisin, faint diesel. Palate Oily, warm, wood, lightly roasted, light smoke, faint chocolate, light medicinal, faint leather, tannins, dried fruit, light diesel. Finish Long and warm, wood, faint smoke, light diesel, faint tar, light chocolate. Empty glass Light smoke, vanilla, faint chocolate, dried fruit, faint cherry.
Review by TheJackDrop
Where to start? First, the bottle is incredible in its detail. Then smoke and peat (or hydrocarbons?) take over. The fruit is clearly present, even if in hindsight it doesn't go through all the states, and we end up with a smell that's impossible to get out of my head. Last glass at 1802, because after that nothing can stand up to me!
Review by Martin Švojgr
So I was really looking forward to this bottle, because I had to go directly to the ExcellenceRhum in Paris to get it, and experience tells me that what you choose forbar 1802 is worth it. To smell and taste. After the initial sniff, it's clear to me that it's going to be about smokiness and peat. Dried fruit, leather and mint come out. On the palate, the peatiness is there, tannins, dried fruits, leather, mint, a bit of kerosene. It's a heavier rum, which has to be the right time, but then it puts a smile on your face.
Review by CaRaph
Nose gives recognizable Caroni scents, smoky with some tar and funnily it's slightly peated. There are also fruits, dark chocolate and Espresso tones. As the glass gradually empties I feel some apple and wax notes. It's a very good nose ! Palate gives many flavours already got on nose. It's dry with iodine, mint and leather. It finishes long and pretty smooth, still smoky and peated, with fruits, dark chocolate and iodine. A very good Caroni !
Review by Johannes
Typischer 98er Caroni mit leicht torfigen Note. Keiner der besten caronis aber insgesamt schöner rum!
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
Avg. community purchase price 499 €
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 SMWS Caroni R13.5 Captivating, Robust and Nimble (Bar 1802) 1998
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, at 61,7%.
Community purchases
7 bottles logged by 7 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
42% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
7 purchased · 23 tasted · 6 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Cane Rum Bottling Company Caroni Single Cask Rum 1998
Cane Rum Bottling Company Caroni Single Cask Rum 1998Softer 25yo Caroni with a menthol streak
Rum Runner Enmore KFM 1991
Rum Runner Enmore KFM 1991Dense, dark old Enmore, leather and prunes
The Wild Parrot New Yarmouth NY Distillery (Special Edition for Corman Collins) 2009
The Wild Parrot New Yarmouth NY Distillery (Special Edition for Corman Collins) 2009Wild, woody New Yarmouth with cookie-dough sweetness
Nobilis West Indies No. 3 Rockley BBR 1986
Nobilis West Indies No. 3 Rockley BBR 1986Smoky honey Rockley, old and deeply complex
Levy Lane Enmore Tamosi Haubariria KFM 1991
Levy Lane Enmore Tamosi Haubariria KFM 1991Dark, oily, wood-and-leather Enmore beast
Distilia New Yarmouth Ex-Bourbon Cask 1994
Distilia New Yarmouth Ex-Bourbon Cask 1994Rich, oaky NY94 with hidden strength
Never miss a price drop.
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, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. 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 →YouTube channel (in German)
