Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Caroni 33th Release High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1998
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Nearly everyone agrees this is unmistakably Caroni, with a twist: at 55% it's softer and fruitier than the heavy hitters, so several tasters call it "almost easy sipping." You still get the tar, rubber and garage grime, but wrapped in burnt caramel, dried fruit and tropical sweetness. A few think it dips a touch on the palate and lacks extravagance, but the balance wins most over.
The community says- Tar and rubber
- Well-integrated alcohol
- Keep in mind: Finish a bit short
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Auction results: 487–1,184 € (20 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 09/2026). How the range is built ›
The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Caroni 33th Release High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1998 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Softer, fruitier, very drinkable Caroni Loved as an unusually gentle, fruit-forward Caroni. Most call it elegant and well-balanced; a few note the finish falls a bit short and it lacks the wildness of stronger releases.
Aroma profileFans of Caroni's tar-and-rubber funk who want a rounder, fruitier version
Anyone chasing the heaviest, dirtiest, highest-proof Caroni
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
31 of 69 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.
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What does the community say?
69 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.
32 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 69 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Jakob
Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Round 98 Caroni with pleasant sweetness and thanks to the somewhat lower alcohol strength almost an easy sipping rum - as far as one can speak of it with Caroni. In direct comparison with the other Velier Caroni releases in the lower midfield on the way, which is still enough for a very good rating without effort - and once again highlights the almost unique quality of these rums.
Review by cigares
Tasted at the restaurant and the bottle is well started. A very beautiful nose where tropical fruits come first. Also with a nose of bourbon, leather, and brown sugar with a little bit of tar. On the palate, the fruits explode with the alcohol supporting. Almost no dirty notes on the palate, surprising! The finish is long with a bit of bitterness, still lots of fruit and a persistent smokiness. The empty glass offers lots of fruit with some mechanical workshop notes. Edit: re-tasted blind in the RumX Advent calendar, day 24, and even though I didn't recognize it, I confirm my rating. Edit 2: re-tasted in direct comparison with Trespassers and it doesn't really shine there, so I lowered my rating.
Review by Joachim Guger
Excellent, very drinkable Caroni. A little more focus on dried fruit, which I personally like very much. Enough burning tires. Anyone else have a bottle?
Review by Maxence
This Caroni has a quite classic profile from 1998 vintage with famous garage notes, dried fruits and wood on the nose. But, it offers some surprising salty notes on the palate. A really good surprise !
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
A very nice Caroni from Velier. A bit of fruit with the typical rubber notes from nose to finish. There is a hint of caramel in there as well with the herbs, tobacco and spice. A nice long finish with som nuttyness to it. Try and nose the glass after a few hours, lovely Caroni rubber and tar notes.
Review by Oliver
Very nice Caroni at a perfect drinking strength. Great nose, but on the palate it falls a little.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A rather mellow, round and gourmet Caroni. The nose delivers some typical dirty notes of tar and rubber, with the caramel, burnt sugar and toffee found on lighter profiles in the background. Wood, spices (vanilla, pepper), chocolate, nuts and dried fruit form a dangerously attractive whole. Leather, tobacco and smoky notes add a little character so as not to overindulge. A classic but effective profile. On the palate, it's a soft, discreet Caroni that comes through with its sweet, caramelized notes. Spices accompany this sweetness with a warmth, followed by wood, leather, espresso coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of tobacco that lend a little bitterness. The sweet-sour-bitter triptych isn't the most complex, but it gives a nice balance on the palate. Terpenic and fruity flavors are more subdued. The alcohol is well integrated. The finish is fairly long, with more roasted, smoky, spicy and bitter aromas. Chocolate, coffee, leather, wood and spice are more present, while sweet caramel comes later, but still sensually. Softness is the order of the day on this conventional Caroni profile, easy to drink but lacking a little extravagance.
Review by RumTaTa
Very balanced on the nose, especially dark dried fruits, roasted aromas, vanilla and a little Caroniwerkstatt. Confirmation on the palate, this seems to be a Caroni. Quite full-bodied and alcoholic. Very dry and quite bitter towards the finish. Rated just "very good" due to the bitterness Alcohol ~63% I don't have enough experience with Caroni to name a specific bottling. ----- I was way too high with the alcohol content. But I almost thought so, as I ate a crispy kebab today and the micro-injuries caused by the "sharp-edged" flatbread on my gums make the rum seem sharper than it is.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Caroni is a distillery from Trinidad that produced rum at the height of its fame, which was added in a ratio of 1:10 to the naval blend. It was too strong and strange to be pleasant on the tongue. In 2000, the distillery stopped production and was closed. Only in 2010 did tasters appear who liked the rum precisely because of its special taste. And interest grew. Caroni belongs to the category of rums "you need to try before you die." I recommend it, Caroni is truly a unique rum.
Review by Mirco
Balances smoky tar and rubber notes with soft tropical fruits and delicate caramel sweetness. It feels more accessible than many Caronis, but still clearly stands in tradition thanks to its typical dirt and workshop character. The mouthfeel is full, with present wood spice and fine freshness. The finish remains medium-length, pleasantly dry and spicy.
Review by Tom Buteneers
RumXmas 24/24 From the start it’s clear that it’s Caroni territory today. Not even gonna bother to try and define a specific bottle and just enjoy it. All components are present in great harmony. Alcohol is very well integrated. It has to be said that it’s “only 55%” which is relatively modest in Caroni terms. Two years ago I tasted this for the first time and scored it 9.2. I can still understand why. I’ve had others that I’ve rated higher. But that’s not what this is about today. I’ll leave the mark how it was. I feel it still deserves it. And it’s not like I’m in the mood to compare it to something else directly right now. Much gratitude to the RumX team for the overall quality of the Advent Calendar. It’s beyond 👏
Review by Serge
Rum X Advent calendar post-tasting, door 24 ... Also tastes good with a little more late-January sunshine and is immediately recognizable as Caroni. Sweet-nutty-fruity-dirty 98 nose. Compared to other vintages not a high flyer but still strong against most continental ones of the vintage. Finish rather not so long
Review by Timo Groeger
RumX Advent Calendar 2024 Day 24: On Christmas Eve there will be the Caroni ;-). Also has the typical Caroni notes such as rubber and tar on the nose, as well as some tobacco. Then also rubber and tar on the palate, as well as smoky and spicy. Successful.
Review by zabo
RumX Advent Calendar 2024 Day 24 You guys are crazy what you put in there at the end 😅 A really great 98, so elegant, almost easy sipping (in a very positive way) but at a very high level without losing complexity.
Review by Boletus
Day 24 of the RumX advent calendar (late tasting): For almost 20 years I had almost exclusively dealt with whisky in the spirits area, when during a visit to a forum colleague I first came into intense contact with high-quality rum. My previous experiences with rum were mostly based on Don Papa, A.H. Riise & Co., and I could never get into that sweetened stuff. That weekend I was able to taste, among others, a Hampden 2010 HLCF, an Enmore from the Wooden Coffey Still, and a 12-year Caroni from Velier, which ultimately changed my view on rum and also my further path as a connoisseur of high-quality spirits significantly. Now I have for the first time a Caroni from Velier in the glass and I am again very enthusiastic. Since this is apparently a somewhat weaker representative of these bottlings, I fear I will slowly have to spend a bit more money to try the others too. 😅
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Excellent Caroni with a really nice smoke and dirt note, but also neat burnt caramel, fresh espresso and dried fruit, orange peel and some mint and walnut, as well as burnt caramel on the finish. Very tasty and well-balanced, only the finish could be more intense and longer....
Review by Alex1981
RumX Calendar 2024 Day 24: Very fruity nose, tropical, Demerara sugar, light wood in the background with a dirty side. Very nice! On the palate initially sharp, pepper. The fruits stay in the background. Develops with dark roasted notes, wood, industrial dirtiness alternating with more fruit. Super integrated alcohol. Wonderful! 98 Caroni, but of the fruity kind.
Review by w00tAN
Nice nose, I just can't get enough of smelling it. Immediately present on the palate: spicy, rubber, and a nice sweetness. Alcohol very well integrated, barely noticeable. Long finish, very balanced. Great rum, very easy to drink!
Review by Benoit Mahe
A superb Caroni, full of balance. I was lucky to find it in an Italian wine shop!
Review by Manuel
RumX Advent Calendar 2024: No. 24 Caroni to celebrate the day?! At least in taste it has slight typical Caroni notes, while it feels very smooth and also slightly sweet. A really excellent rum.
Review by alex
Very well-balanced. Nice complexity. Very good. A real treat. 😍😍😍
Review by Christoph
A smoky bar on the nose can only come from Trinidad, but for a Caroni I miss the paved road and the engine oil, is that a Caroni? Yes, but the taste is definitely Caroni and what a round, tasty, uh, dirty rum.
Review by Mentalo
Compared to its "only" 55%, it lacks a bit of power. But that makes it a very accessible Caroni. Brings quite a lot of sweetness and some dried fruits. A pleasant wood note and slightly dirty notes.
Review by Schnubbii
RumX Advent calendar day 24: On the nose still quite restrained, I mainly find some caramel sweetness. Palate: Well, if that's not a Caroni. But it could also be the Gran Torino, the diesel funk is relatively smooth and well integrated. It slowly fades on the palate. Definitely a very nice rum with the typical Caroni markers and a wonderful caramel sweetness. Fits well for 24.12.
Review by primus
RumX Advent calendar 2024, door number 24 On the nose hard to define, woody, with dried fruit, maybe something grassy, nutty and leather. Occasionally apricot. On the palate the cask stands out more, stays dry.
Review by Alexander Rasch
I'm 100% sure it's Caroni. At first a bit sweeter than I thought, it gets dirtier over time. The ashtray and somewhat edgy profile suggest to me a barrel from the Bristol cellar. I'd guess 1998. About 60% and at least 20-24 years old, as it's quite woody already. Which exact bottling is hard to say without comparison. I like it very much and it disappeared quickly. Top! I hope I'm not completely off 😅 Fingers crossed.
Review by Agricoler
Very good Caroni that leans more towards the dark spicy side. Still has a very nice slight southern note of caramel and dried fruits. I really like this type of Caroni because it is well balanced. Although Caronis will never be among my rum favorites.
Review by Djehey
I wouldn't have bet on a Caroni. TDL crossed my mind but not enough fruit. The very spicy side also made me think of Guadeloupe... At the same time, I've tried few Caronis. In the end, the profile is nice but not my preference.
Review by Martin Spooner
Blind tasting Advent calendar 2024: nice nose, but very restrained. On the palate clearly Caroni. Dirty with a slight sweetness at the end. Really great rum. Stays long. Great.
Review by FischeJ
Nice slightly dirty, fruity nose. A bit pale on the palate in comparison. Nevertheless, a nice Caroni.
Review by Michael Schou
16-10-2025 - Rate 9.1
Review by Pavel Ungr, RumRock
Vintage 1998. I rate it 8.8 out of 10, an excellent rum that ranks high even among my more than 1,300 reviews.
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review ›For me I felt it had just enough fruitiness to keep it interesting and enjoyable throughout. If you can find a bottle at a reasonable price then go for it. This is more than a decent example of Caroni rum without doubt. This might be Velier Caroni No Smoking but...
Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
Read full review ›
Velier Caroni 33th Release High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1998 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
120 bottles logged by 86 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
8% opened, 5 emptied.
What did the community pay for Velier Caroni 33th Release High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1998?
Community paid 40–1,141 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 661 €. Price history with 20 auction results in RX+ ›
120 purchased · 71 tasted · 35 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Caroni 33th Release High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1998
A Column Still Rum from Trinidad, bottled by Velier, at 55%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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