Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 17 HTR 1998
Sip this one neat, with 15 minutes of air and maybe a drop of water — the 55% sits quietly. Expect classic Caroni: tar, rubber and diesel wrapped around dried fruit, orange peel, vanilla and a little dark chocolate. Most tasters call it the best of the 12/15/17 trio, a touch lighter and "dirty" than the high-end bottles but beautifully balanced, with a long charred finish.
- Long charred finish
- Well-integrated alcohol
- Classic tar and rubber
+10
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Buy Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 17 HTR 1998:
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How does Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 17 HTR 1998 taste?
Aggregated from 207 community reviews.
Balanced, dirty Caroni — the best of the trio Loved as a balanced, well-priced gateway into Caroni — tar, rubber, fruit and a long finish. Several say it beats the 12 and 15; some find the body a bit light versus top-end bottles.
People starting into the dirty world of Caroni and tar-and-rubber fans
Anyone who dislikes rubber, diesel and smoke, or wants something sweet
How is Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 17 HTR 1998 rated?
RumX's 0–10 scale is strict , 8.8 lands squarely in the "Very good" band. 99% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Rum reviews
Selected write-ups from 207 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Based on 207 ratings
Review by Joe95
The best of the Extra Strong series for me, beautiful empyreumatic notes typical of Caroni, but also roasted nuts, tobacco and dark chocolate. Perfect integration of the alcohol and magnificent length.
Review by Mirco
Nice representative of dirty 1998 Caronis at a good PLV. Of course, it cannot compete with high-end Caronis, but it is still convincing. Typical Caroni with tar, menthol, rubber and some diesel.
Review by Oliver
Wonderful Caroni with (still) very good value for money.
Review by Jakob
Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: A more than solid standard. Great aromatics, the tropical aging comes into its own and adds depth - in the spectrum of Velier Caronis this only reaches the lower midfield, but across all Caronis to be found in the extended top group.
Review by Mirko Frosini 🇮🇪
Everything I love in a rum! I can't imagine a world without Caroni!I dread to think how good the vintages from the 80s must be! I know Velier is trying to reconstruct the still by interviewing everyone who had worked at the distillery.
Review by Joachim Guger
A classic Caroni with lots of orange peel. Not as ripe and full-bodied as some other Velier releases, the body is a bit slimmer and reminds me of a good Agricole. With that Caroni vibe, mind you. A rum that’s really fun, glass after glass. Edit: Back in the glass after years. The pronounced orange 🍑, diesel, and old oil notes are wonderful. 🔥 It really shines on the finish, which takes about 30-60 seconds, then a phenomenal spice and diesel come through, and it lasts for a long time… He’s no Heavy Weight Champion, but he’s a great, very well-balanced, easy-drinking Caroni.
Review by cigares
The first time I tasted this rum blind I didn't recognize Caroni, it didn't have enough oxidation to reveal its full potential. A complex nose of tar, smoke and red fruits. A palate with a very broad and deep aromatic palette. A finish as expected from Caroni, infinite and complex. The end of the bottle is delicious!
Review by Rene Nielsen
A very nice Caroni. Nose: dried fruit, tar, iodine, little smoke. Taste: dried fruit, raisin, a little oak and tar, again some smoke. Complex and smooth. Very tasty and easy too drink - i like it
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Whisky Live in Paris 27.09.2024-30.09.2024. Retasting and I still like it a lot, the price tag has gone through the roof since release 😊 ===================== This one beats both the 12 and 15 year versions by far. A true Caroni from the nose to the finish. The alcohol is almost too dominant so I added a few drops of water which also released a lot of extra flavours after resting for 15 minutes. The nose is typical Caroni with rubber, polish and fruits mixed with vanilla. The palate continues with the rubber and clearly charred barrel as well as fruit and spices. The finish is long and also has the rubber and burnt/charred barrel to it.
Review by Tschusikowsky
Simply great fun. Too bad this profile won't always be available. Relatively deep flavor profile, rather dirty, especially for the vintage. However, the fruity components also come into their own on the finish. Very solid Caroni in the upper mid-range.
Review by Serge
For me better than the 15yo of the same vintage - even if 1998 is not my favorite vintage. Relatively dirty and with (also) continental fruits compared to the 15 yo, the extra ABV scores (even if it's still at the lower limit).
Review by LukaŽiga
8,7:On the nose, the first impression we get are notes from roasted wood like nuts, caramel and some spice like vanilla. Citrus flows underneath with orange peel, there are dried fruits and molasses with flowery notes and tobacco, from industrial notes, there is just a rubber, a bit of polish. After airing the rum, the molasses is more vegetal, minty, but with honey, the fruits are yellow and there are some pear, surprisingly banana, lemon peel, mocha. 8,7:On the palate, the attack is tasty, round with fruity and woody notes like dried and yellow fruits, later citrus, the wood is charred, spicy, dry with nuts, nougat, caramel and vanilla.From industrial dirty notes we find some rubber and petrol, menthol. After resting the rum, the molasses is herbal and minty, the fruits diverse with orange peel, pear, mango, banana and peaches. 8,4:The finish is long, but less round as before with bitter industrial notes, tannins, still nicely fruity with yellow, dried fruits, citrus, as the wood is spicy, charred, dry. Edit:23.3.25-oxidation, resting helps, an upgrade
Review by DomM
Deep and rich on the nose. Well balanced yet rather dirt forwards, making it a very interesting 98 nose for my preferences. Compared to the 15y, the nose has more depth and complexity to it, ie the clear winner for me. Powerful on the palate as well. Compared to the 15y, reduction in ABV is way less harmful here. Dirt, choclate and some dried fruit providing good complexity and intensity overall.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A Caroni with a very seductive profile. The nose is initially quite soft, revealing notes of vanilla, dried fruit, menthol, pepper and a delicate woodiness. The nose then reveals typical empyreumatic aromas, with notes of smoke, rubber, tar, leather and tobacco. A floral breeze and orange zest graze the nostrils as the rum airs out. One of the most appealing and varied noses among caronis. On the palate, the rum is initially very delicate, followed by grimy notes of tar, rubber, smoke, roasted hazelnuts, spices and a perceptible burnt woodiness. Tobacco and leather confirm the trend on the palate, while dried fruit and red berries try to get in on the action. Despite the rather low 55 degrees for a Caroni, the profile is very pleasant, dirty, expressive and elegant. The very long finish returns to Caroni's dirty side, with lots of empyreumatic notes (burnt sensation, rubber, tar), spices, wood, roasted hazelnuts and a bitterness that nails the taste show. A very good representative of the distillery that has disappeared, which can still be found despite the rise in speculation.
Review by Beach-and-Rum 🏖️🌴
Today, the 17-year-old was allowed into the glass for the first time. The tropical maturation had a considerable influence on the rum. Fruitiness, oak, vanilla and rubber vie for supremacy. The result is a complex rum with a long-lasting, warm finish. The alcohol is slightly noticeable, but not unpleasant. For me, it's a whole lot better than the 15-year-old. Very tasty and reasonably affordable by Caroni standards.
Review by Thunderbird
This is a Caroni of the dark, spicy and strong kind. I still find it relatively soft and mild on the palate. On the palate, however, it shows its full potential of tar, gas station and spice. But definitely not unpleasant, quite the opposite: it harmonizes and can be enjoyed wonderfully. If dark berry aromas were still present, this could have been a 10-point candidate for me. As it is, it only scratches the 9
Review by DutchRumPirate
Caroni Rum tasting with a friend. On the nose: Delicious fruity notes, fresh, complex, and with those unique "dirty" notes. On the palate: Flowers and fruit initially emerge, followed by notes of leather and rubber. Finish: Simply delicious. Average length. A delightful Caroni, but if you're experienced with the "higher end" Caroni, you'll notice that this version is a bit more toned down. Or put another way: This is a delicious V8-cylinder Caroni, but without the turbos.
Review by Mike H.
Much better than the 15 years. The flavors are much more pronounced in nose and mouth. Still a touch on the light side but everything that I love about Caroni can be found in this rum.
Review by Felix Reiber
Wunderbar komplexe Nase mit vielen Gewürzen und intensiven Caroni-Noten. Im Vergleich zum 15er kommen hier noch rote Früchte und dunkle Schokolade hinzu. Am Gaumen ist er überzeugend intensiv und komplex. Holz, Leder, Röstaromen und viele Gewürze (z.B. Zimt) nehmen Fahrt auf. Dann dunkles Karamell, Fass, Tabak und Espresso. Etwas fruchtiges wie z.b. reifer Apfel oder Birne ist im Hintergrund. Der lange, würzige Abgang ist ebenso komplex und aromatisch. Geprägt von Kräutern, Fass, Tanninen und gerösteten Nüssen klingt alles mit einer schönen Holzigkeit und Gewürzen aus. Eine gewisse Ähnlichkeit zum genialen 100th Anniversary ist vorhanden, doch der 17er unterscheidet sich m.E. durch etwas Schokolade und/oder Espresso. Sehr lecker und nur zu empfehlen.
Review by alex
Très bon et très fin , Les marqueurs habituels, C’est toujours un plaisir de revenir sur ce jus. Belle rondeur, des beaux arômes, de fruits, de la vanille, du caramel, Du sale … C’est vraiment très bon ❤️
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Expert reviews
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Details about Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 17 HTR 1998
A Column Still Rum from Trinidad, bottled by Velier, at 55%.
Community purchases
761 bottles logged by 446 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
11% opened, 25 emptied and repurchased.
What does Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 17 HTR 1998 cost?
Community paid €98–€391.
Current best price: €360.90 – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
+9 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months.
761 purchased · 215 tasted · 106 wishlist · as of
About the Caroni distillery
The Caroni distillery is located in Trinidad. Rums from Caroni have been reviewed 10,226 times with an average of 8.8/10.
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