Aroma visualization from community tastings
Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997
Tar, varnish and pencil shavings up front — the garage-floor side of Caroni — but this 1997 keeps surprising people with fruit: ripe mango, apricot, orange, overripe banana, a touch of burnt sugar and toffee. Several tasters call it an unusually fruity, "non-typical" Caroni. At 63.8% it runs hot and oily, so give it air. Divisive by nature, loved by nearly everyone who tried it.
The community says- Oily petrol depth
- Unusual ripe fruit
- Long warm finish
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The look inside the bottle
How does Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997 taste?
Aggregated from 30 community reviews.
Fruity, oily 1997 Caroni that surprises Regulars rate it one of the better 1997s — the classic petrol-and-tar backbone stays, but the fruit and balance win people over. A few note it can turn heavy with too much air.
Caroni fans who want fruit with the petrol
Newcomers and anyone put off by tar
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
7 of 30 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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How is Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.0 sits in the “Excellent” 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?
100% rate it 8 or higher. 11 selected write-ups from 30 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A superb Caroni in every way. The nose has great depth and a broad aromatic spectrum: terpenic notes come first (petrol, tar, rubber, polish, smoky notes), followed by fruit (exotic, raisin), toasted wood and spices (vanilla, pepper), as well as a touch of caramel and burnt sugar. The whole is well-balanced, intense and elegant. The attack on the palate is equally striking. Burnt sugar, caramel and toffee compete for dominance with the dirty notes of a car garage. The rum is warm, oily, intense and complex. The exotic fruit is still present, as are spices (chili, vanilla), wood, leather and a rather bewitching medicinal edge. The alcohol is perfectly integrated. The finish extends the pleasure to infinity. Tannins dry out the palate, which retains the oil, fruit, wood, spice and smoke aromas. Caramel, burnt sugar and toffee add sweetness to a finish of rare intensity. An excellent Caroni, the standard-bearer of its vintage.
Review by cigares
A surprisingly sweet nose with lots of fruit, overripe banana and other caramelized fruits, but also clearly from the machine shop. The palate begins lightly, but is immediately filled with deep, complex flavors and aromas. A very light carbonic finish. The finish is majestic on fruit with a slight diesel. The empty glass is on the machine shop floor, with plenty of fruit. This rum tells a story, a story of a mechanical workshop in the middle of a vast tropical orchard.
Review by Joachim Guger
Dust-dry on the nose. Lacquer, polish, dirty caroni notes (petrol), pencil and a hint of fruit (raisin, ripe mango). Outstanding! 😍 With a little breathing, it becomes rounder and the fruit becomes more present. Great mouthfeel. Burnt caramel. Hardly dirty. And then a wonderful finish. Great 1997 Caroni. Very close to my reference RX358. Excellent and different from a fully tropically matured Caroni. Both can be very good 😀😀😀😀 Thanks to Bonn for this great sample.
Review by Aussierumfan
A wonderful Caroni!! I havnt tried enough of them to be able to compare vintages but this is a great 1997. Smells wonderfully musty and has a lovely mouthfeel. I gave it some time to settle, I can detect oily petrol, along with fruits in the background. Hints of Glue as well? I managed to buy one of these origional 50ml sample bottles on rum auctioneer a year or so back. Well worth trying if you can get your hands on it, I don't see it around much online.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
17.05.2019 Nice get together at my place with nice spread of rums. Notes Dark to very dark in colour. Nose Fresh, wood, light roasted, light tar, faint rubber, cherry, light caramel. Palate Oily, balanced, complex, cherry, dried fruit, light tar, light rubber, spicy, light caramel. Finish Very long and warm, wood, light roasted, dried fruit, light rubber, faint tar, light prunes. I'm so happy I have the other releases as samples.
Review by Franzi
Sehr interessant, ganz besondere Noten, die nichts für jeden Abend für mich sind, aber die definitiv spannend sind. Die Noten sind Intensiv und dennoch schwer zu beschreiben: Bleistift, Dreck etwas leichter, daher trinkbarer als andere Caronis
Review by Matthias
For me personally one of the best 1997s. Has nen very own taste and he can probably also split. No Caroni as one is accustomed to him from eg Velier. It reminds me a bit of a full-bodied wine when you smell it for the first time. Very tasty
Review by Leo Tomczak
Incredibly good for a 97. Not at the level of the 96, but still great. Round, vanilla-like, not very dirty. Above all, it worked great for such a small clique
Review by mto75
In direct comparison with the blog a Roger (88), the mayor is still a little ahead, hence 89.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Strong technical oil taste. Wow!
Review by Mr. Stups
Sehr guter Caroni
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by In Spiritus Veritas
Read full review →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 434 € – 514 €
from 4 sales, latest 12/2025
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Details about Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Whisky Krüger, at 63,8%.
Community purchases
33 bottles logged by 21 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
9% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997?
Community paid 67–136 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
33 purchased · 30 tasted · 12 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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