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D5E5D38A-8F01-4EB1-B5BC-62CB03DCD9D6Trinidad Caroni 1423 World Class Spirits
Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997 20cl bottle
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Aged rum · 18 years · 63,1%

Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997

Owners keep circling back to this one — the pick of the SBS 1997 set for several tasters. It's classic Caroni: tar, rubber, wet leather and old wood, "dreckig und süß" as one member puts it, with a surprising basket of tropical fruit and honey underneath. At 63,1% it drinks edgy and dry, but most say the alcohol sits well and needs no water.

The community says
  • Tar & rubber
  • Tropical fruit
  • But: Edgy at 63%
Currently no offers for delivery to Germany.

The look inside the bottle

How does Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997 taste?

Aggregated from 56 community reviews.

Dirty, dry Caroni with tar, rubber and tropical fruit Widely loved and repeatedly restocked — a dirty, dry Caroni that's fruitier and more balanced than expected, with the heat mostly well integrated. If you want soft and sweet, look elsewhere.

Perfect for

Caroni fans who chase tar and rubber

Less suitable for

newcomers and anyone wanting soft, sweet rum

Style & occasion

How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.

Which glass for which rum? The community guide →

Top aromas · nose & palate

26 of 56 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums

Recommendation

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How is Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997 rated?

RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.6 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?

95% rate it 8 or higher. 15 selected write-ups from 56 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.

Review by Felix Reiber

Felix Reiber
Feb 2025106 reviewsGermany
9.0/10

Fass #216 startet in der Nase mit einem intensiven, klassischen Caroni-Profil. Beim allerersten Riechen kommt eine tolle Rauchnote zum Vorschein, welche dann aber schnell verfliegt und sich bei Teer und Gummi einpendelt. Am Gaumen ist er überraschend süß und fruchtig. Teer, Gewürze, Gummi, Holz und Kräuter kommen dazu und werden gekonnt von Honig, Vanille und später auch Kakao begleitet. Die leicht röstige Note bleibt erhalten und die 63,1 % trinken sich entsprechend kantig und würzig. Der lange, intensive Abgang lebt von Gewürzen, Holz, Leder, Fass und erdigen Facetten. Wieder kommen Honig und tropische Früchte dazu und klingen mit Kräutern und röstigen Aromen aus. Am Ende des Tastings habe ich in der Nase etwas Kaugummi. Wahnsinn !

Review by TheRhumhoe

TheRhumhoe
TheRhumhoe
May 2024918 reviews
8.9/10

The comparison is between 4 Caronis Single Cask 1997 from SBS. The best of the 4 Single Cask presented in this match. The nose stands out with its lovely fruitiness that comes opulently over the empyreumatic notes. Varnish, tar, rubber, leather and smoky notes are wrapped in velvet, with a hint of sweetness on honey to give an intense, elegant whole. The palate makes the difference, offering a lovely basket of tropical fruits that accompany the sweetness, already present on the nose, with salted caramel, cocoa, vanilla and sweet pepper. Hydrocarbons, leather and smoky notes are also present. The result is a complete rum, more complex and refined in every way. The alcohol is very well integrated. The finish is beautiful, long and flavorful. Spices, roasted notes, hydrocarbons and hot caramel are all warm. But it's the hazelnut and tropical fruit that steal the show, with a little twist on the finish that pleases the palate. As mentioned above, this is the best of the 4 Caroni, brilliant in its aromas, finesse and versatility.

Review by Pavel Spacek

Pavel Spacek
Nov 20241,326 reviewsCzech
8.1/10

... Caroni je destilerie z Trinidadu, produkujici v dobe sve nejvetsi slavy rum, ktery se pridaval v pomeru 1:10 do namornickeho blendu. Byl totiz moc vyrazny a divny nez aby byl prijemny na jazyku. V roce 2000 destilerka skoncila s produkci a byla uzavrena. Az v roce 2010 se objevili degustatori, kteri si rum oblibili prave pro jeho specialni chut. A zajem rostl. Caroni patri do kategorie rumu "you need to try before you die". Doporucuji, Caroni je opravdu unikatni rum.

Review by Daniel

Daniel
Daniel
Aug 2020238 reviews
8.3/10

Nase: Alkohol deutlich zu vernehmen, aber auch milde, gefällige Aromen aus Rosinen, Honig und Schokolade. Dezent Gummi. Gaumen: Präsenter, langanhaltender Auftakt des Alkohol. Dann Gummi, Teer, Kräuter sowie würzige Aromen. Abgang: Bitterkeit und Gummi, aber auch ein Hauch Cola. Fazit: Alkoholischer Vertreter aus Trinidad, der mittelstark in der Ausprägung der dreckigen Aromen ist. Vollmundig und in Teilen rund.

Review by Tim

Tim
Feb 2023537 reviewsGermany
8.4/10

This Caroni cask 216 could almost be an Agricole. As well as dried fruit, caramel, earthy notes, dry leather and spice, there's also some smoke, but rubber and tar are only briefly present at the start, although I'm not entirely sure. In the mouth, woody, salty, dry spicy and bitter spicy. Overall, varied, but almost mediocre. I liked the other casks better.

Review by Harald

Harald
Aug 2024210 reviewsPortugal
8.8/10

Farbe: Kastanie Geruch: Aromatisch, süß und fruchtig mit Toffee zu Beginn. Tropische Früchte (Mango), Rosinen, Toffee und Honig. Geschmack: Vollmundig und kräftig. Dabei sehr holzig (altes Holz) mit Gummi und Teer. Maronen, medizinisch und trocken. Würzig mit Ingwer und Pfeffer. Abgang: Lang Trocken, altes Holz, medizinisch. Im Nachgeschmack leicht bitter und adstringierend mit Hustensaft.

Review by cigares

cigares
May 2024933 reviewsSwitzerland
9.0/10

The famous tasting of the S.B.S. single cask set. Cask # 216. The nose has a mechanical workshop and metallic edge, followed by fruit. A powerful yet elegant nose. The palate gives the same sensation, powerful aromas and elegance. The finish is long and very Caroni, the best of the four. The best of the 4 with cask #53.

Review by zabo

zabo
Mar 20241,532 reviewsGermany
8.6/10

The rum is part of a set: Cask 53, Cask 190, Cask 193 and Cask 216. The alcohol is not so well integrated here either. I find it a little more boring than the #190. For what the set costs or used to cost, it's an absolutely top PLV. Some newer bottlings can think about their price. I'll go back for more here!

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Expert reviews

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Market value

Avg. community purchase price 72 €

What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.

How we calculate this →

Details about Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997

A Column Still Rum from Trinidad, bottled by 1423 World Class Spirits, at 63,1%.

CountryTrinidad
DistilleryCaroni
CategoryColumn Still Rum
DistillationColumn Still
ABV63,1%
Volume20cl
Age18 years
Vintage1997
Cask no.#216

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Community purchases

64 bottles logged by 46 collectors.

A drinker & collector.

23% opened, 9 emptied and repurchased.

49 sealed 6 open 9 emptied

What did the community pay for Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997?

Community paid 48–87 €.

What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →

64 purchased · 56 tasted · 9 wishlist · as of

Read on in the RumX Guide

Caroni

Distillery

Caroni 

Avg Rating 8.8/10 620 Rums

No closed distillery is chased harder than Caroni. The Trinidad distillery shut down around 2002 and not a drop has been made since, but its heavy, oily, almost diesel-like rum became a collector obsession, carried to the world by Velier. Every bottle now comes from a finite, shrinking stock, which is exactly why the prices keep climbing.

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Rating guide

RumX's 0–10 scale is strict. Here's what each band means.

9.0–10.0 Excellent Stash as many as you can afford. Tell no one.
8.0–8.9 Very good your rum Bank a backup. Tell everyone you meet.
7.0–7.9 Good Buy one and recommend it to your friends.
6.0–6.9 Pleasant Solid, super glad I drank it.
5.0–5.9 Average Totally acceptable.
4.0–4.9 Drinkable Not vocally complaining.
3.0–3.9 Poor Wish I was drinking something else.
2.0–2.9 Very poor Nothing nice to say.
1.0–1.9 Unpleasant No, that's not for me.
0.1–0.9 Inedible Pour it out.
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