Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Caroni 1st Employees John „D“ Eversley HTR 1996
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Fans of Caroni put this near the top of the Employee series, with a couple noting it's not quite the absolute peak. Expect the classic dirty markers — tar, rubber, bicycle tube, tobacco — wrapped around dried fruit, cassis, caramel and dark chocolate. At 66.5% it's heavy and full, with a menthol edge and a very long finish. A few call the bite a touch much.
The community says- Classic Caroni tar
- Complex and layered
- Long spicy finish
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No shop currently delivers to Germany.
Auction results: 884–1,447 € (14 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 08/2026). How the range is built ›
The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Caroni 1st Employees John „D“ Eversley HTR 1996 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Heavy, tarry Caroni with dark fruit A tropically aged 1996 Caroni tasters rate highly — tar, rubber and dark fruit with real depth. Most say it's one of the better Employees; a few find it slightly too fierce.
Aroma profileCaroni devotees who love tar, rubber and heavy tropical aging
Newcomers, or anyone who finds high-proof heat and rubbery funk off-putting
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
19 of 55 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
Buying advice
Is it right for you?
Yes, if you're after bold, mature, oaky rums for sipping neat.
Similar in style and available now.
Sweeter
Silver Seal Enmore Demerara Rum EHP 19779.2/10 (49)2,017.44 €
Similar rating, cheaper
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Nita „Nitz“ Hogan 20009.2/10 (83)1,293.03 €
Milder
Enmore Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 22 REV 19949.2/10 (93)1,199.00 €
Fruitier
Velier Bielle Rhum Rhum Libération Integrale 2012 20079.0/10 (98)711.90 €
What does the community say?
55 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow 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.
20 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 55 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Jakob
Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Exquisite and stylish HTR representative from 1996. Rich sweetness with powerful rubber and tar notes. Balanced, drinkable and yet with rough edges. A highlight in the already impressive Employees series.
Review by Oliver
An extraordinary Caroni! For me, a real highlight from the Employee series. However, it has a tad too much bite for a top rating.
Review by Mirco
Wonderful 1996 Velier Caroni from the Employee series. However, not quite the top of the series. Top tar and rubber notes combined with fruits, wood, and spice. Nicely edgy, which gives it character, great!
Review by Aussierumfan
Wow! Well this one has to be one of the best Caronis I have tasted to date! It's just so well balanced! Alcahol is perfectly integrated. Very complex, with all the right caroni notes and nothing out of wack. Tar and rubber, but a lovely tropical fruits and burnt wood as well! Dark chocolate and a lovely sweetness at all times. A long satisfying finish. To me this is just stunning. 1996 is definitly a vintage to look out for!
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Brutally medicinal herbal Caroni. Incredibly awesome aroma density and Caroni as it’s written in the book. Alcohol perfectly integrated. Great menthol, tropical fruit and rubber notes. Super cool release. Thanks Jakob!
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Had a very nice Caroni tasting yesterday and what a tasting :-) This one had all the typical Caroni flavours in it while also being heavy, intense and complex. When it was released the bottle wasn't too expensive but the prices have already skyrocketed.
Review by DomM
Very nice bottling out of the 1996 vintage. Powerful with cacoa notes, dirt and fruits.
Review by Tschusikowsky
chocolate, gum, casis, herbal, spicy, wood, methol, plastic Rubber, plastic, very fruity, pear bread, smoky, chocolate, wood, cedar, peach, Very good balance here too. Alcohol well integrated for 66.5%. Complexity and balance go hand in hand. Absolutely great Caroni.
Review by Maxence
This one takes time to open up. A bit too dry at the beginning, it becomes so round and well balanced with tropical fruits, caramel, molasses and pastries. In addition to this, alcohol integration is perfect. Another great 1996 Employee 🥰
Review by zabo
Once again a Caroni that totally hits my taste. Really, no need for many words, just try it if you get the chance and enjoy. Nicely dirty and complex with an insanely good finish.
Review by Tom Buteneers
Caroni highlight
Review by Christoph H.
One of my favorite caronis. Although there are caronis that have been in the barrel longer, the tropical aging has already hit properly here, both in smell and taste. Personally, I like it. On the nose, typically 96, furniture polish, bicycle inner tube, dried fruit, coconut, plum. Also lots of honey and caramel. In the mouth very powerful, heavy, dry and mouth filling. A slight sweetness with some honey and burnt sugar. Lots of barrel, roasted flavors, kerosene, polish and spiciness, hardly any fruitiness. Many could be the already over the zenith, I personally love him
Review by Beach-and-Rum 🏖️🌴
This one really has some serious steam under the hood again. Very complex without leaning too strongly in one direction. One of the best Caronis I've tasted so far from the Employee Series. For an even better rating, it has a bit too much punch. Thanks a lot, Oli, for the sample.
Review by Jarek
Ohhh... Thanks to Tobias, who opened the bottle with us on a special occasion. What a nose! There's the fruity side with blackcurrant and plum, but of course also the dirty side with tar and rubber. Plus leather and the sweetness of caramel, as well as a light menthol note. On the palate less fruit, but wood, licorice and black tea come in. Nice finish that emphasizes the spicy and dirty notes again.
Review by Serge
Thanks to Tobi for opening this unusual bottle in our FTG round. Freshly opened, wood, tar, rubber, tobacco, a bit of menthol, spice, sandalwood and tea dominate. With some standing time, raisin appears. After a while more, then some dark fruit (cassis maybe sour cherry). A great rum and I can well imagine it developing further in the bottle.
Review by Harald
Caroni 1996 Employees First Release John "D" Eversley Heavy Rum (HTR) - Full Proof Distilled: 1996 Bottled: 2018 Aged 22 Years 66.5% One of 1192 bottles from 5 casks Color: Bright cherry mahogany, oily Aroma: Creamy sweet and aromatic with fruit aromas of pineapple, plum and Mon Cherie cherries. Aromas of gingerbread, hot chestnuts, cocoa, chocolates, tobacco, cloves, leather, sandalwood and floor wax intermingle to create an intense, powerful smell. Superb! Taste: Sweet and creamy in the mouth at first, then spicy. Then very spicy on the swallow. Strong and intense flavor with a lot of licorice. This is almost too many impressions at once: first sweet, then chewing tobacco and licorice, then tea extract, then pineapple, then bitter old wood with tree bark decoction. Finish: Very long, warms from deep inside. Licorice, black tea and wood extract. Aftertaste dry and slightly bitter at the same time. Conclusion: A fantastic tropically aged Caroni, though not quite up to the very best to my taste. 91 points
Review by Buddudharma
04/06/2025: Direct comparison between RX203 (John “D” Eversley), RX1403 (“Fire” Old Whisky) and RX38 (Last Caroni). The Last is great in every respect, very balanced, harmonious, with perfectly integrated alcohol and a long finish. If one wanted to criticize, it would be that it is almost too pleasing and lacks edges and corners. Criticizing this here is almost heretical, the rum is a sensation. The John “D” Eversley is somewhat more delicate on the nose and entry, floral, with a bit more mint and a bit less sweetness and caramel. Then the well-known Caroni markers come in full intensity, with impressive depth and complexity. Compared to the Last, it has a bit more edges and corners, which I like, plus a slightly creamier mouthfeel. Eternal finish where the heavy sweetness really comes through. Overall also a sensation and for me slightly ahead of the Last. The “Fire” combines the best qualities of the two predecessors. Incredibly good alcohol integration, nothing stings here at almost 71%, fantastic complexity, great mouthfeel, the right amount of edges and corners, and an eternal finish that lets all nuances shine through again based on heavy sweetness. Among the best I've ever tasted.
Review by DeMaddin
Kraftvoller Caroni,, schöne Fruchtigkeit, Kräuter , Gummi, dreckig , mit Ecken und Kannten. Top
Review by roudy petersen
Wow !!very impressive ! To try at least one
Review by Pavel Spacek
Sour and technical
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 9.4/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
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Expert review by Le Blog À Roger
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Expert review by Who Rhum The World
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Expert review by In Spiritus Veritas
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Velier Caroni 1st Employees John „D“ Eversley HTR 1996 at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
111 bottles logged by 87 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
8% opened, 5 emptied.
What did the community pay for Velier Caroni 1st Employees John „D“ Eversley HTR 1996?
Community paid 382–2,000 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 900 €. Price history with 14 auction results in RX+ ›
111 purchased · 57 tasted · 46 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Caroni 1st Employees John „D“ Eversley HTR 1996
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Velier, at 66,5%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
All releases in this series
Velier Caroni 1st Employees John „D“ Eversley HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 1st Employees Dennis „X“ Gopaul HTR 1998
Velier Caroni 2nd Employees David „Sarge“ Charran 1996
Velier Caroni 2nd Employees Kevon „Slippery“ Moreno HTR 1998
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Vijay „Vijay“ Ranmarine 1996
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Ganesh „Buju“ Ramgobie 1998
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Nita „Nitz“ Hogan 2000
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Balas „Brigade“ Bhaggan 1998
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Dayanand „Yunkoo“ Balloon 1998
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Basdeo „Dicky“ Ramsarran HTR 2000
Velier Caroni 5th Employees Dhanraj „Dan“ Maharaj HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 5th Employees Roopnarine „Roop“ Toolsie HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 5th Employees Deodat „Breeze“ Manmohan HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 6th Employees United HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 6th Employees Mahesh “Sonny Black” Bridgelal HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 6th Employees Ricky “Dirty Harry” Seeharack HTR 1996
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