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Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 12 HTR 2000
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Sip this one neat with fifteen minutes and a drop of water to open it up. It's classic Caroni: rubber, tar and diesel, "dirty workshop" notes wrapped around pear, vanilla and dark cherry. At 50% and 12 years it reads younger and softer than its older siblings, so many call it the ideal way into the distillery. A few find the palate a touch thin.
The community says- Classic Caroni DNA
- Dirty rubber and tar
- But: Palate can be thin
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The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 12 HTR 2000 taste?
Summarized by AI from 183 community reviews.
Fresh, dirty entry-level Caroni Loved as an entry into Caroni's tar-and-rubber world — fresh, dirty and drinkable. The common catch: the palate can feel thin and diluted compared to older, higher-proof bottlings.
Aroma profilePeople wanting a first, gentler taste of Caroni's tar and rubber
Anyone after fruity mixing rum or deep, high-proof intensity
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
76 of 183 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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Rated better
La Maison & Velier Caroni Navy Rum 100th Anniversary „Replica“ HTR 2000
8.8/10299 €
More intense
Caroni Kill Devil HTR 1998
8.9/10
Similar rating, cheaper
TBRC Caroni HTR
8.4/10199 €
Nothing for you?
5 more similar rums ↓
First choice: 82 of 110 tasters who tried both prefer it.
Community voices
What does the community say?
183 community reviews
48 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
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Ranges include their upper bound: “7–8” means above 7 up to and including 8. See the full rating guide
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by Jakob
Most helpful positive review
Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Nice entry rum into the Caroni world. Rubber and tar meets wood - not much more, but also not a bit less.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Most helpful mixed review
Caroni is a distillery from Trinidad that produced rum at the height of its glory, which was added at a ratio of 1:10 to naval blends. It was too strong and strange to be pleasant on the tongue. The distillery stopped production and was closed in 2000. Only in 2010 did tasters appear who liked the rum precisely for 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
Nice entry-level Caroni. The typical Caroni notes can also be found here: tar, rubber and diesel. For me, much better than the 15 from this series. Doesn't go to extremes and the ABV is too low for my taste.
Review by Oliver
Caroni essence! With his young age he brings exactly what makes Caroni: dirt, gasoline and gruffness. Very special, but awesome!
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
outstanding caroni! Passion fruit, fresh green mint, honey, incense, metallic but not too much, incredibly harmonious fruitiness and just my thing! awesome! 😍🤤🤤 very drinkable and still quite a long finish, especially! Makes absolutely fantastic daiquiris and Sazerac's by the way!
Review by Tschusikowsky
Exceptionally good Caroni. Tar, rubber as it should be. There is also mint and a pleasant fruitiness. Essence of the Caroni profile. Nothing extreme but absolutely delicious. Compared to the 15, dirtier and also more complex.
Review by LukaŽiga
8,5:On the nose, the first impression we get is some industrial notes like rubber, tar and roasted, spicy wood with caramel, nuts, vanilla.Yellow, dried fruits come out in the second wave.The rum is coppery. On aeration, there is a pear, molasses vegetal and minty.Notes become more balanced and round with citrus, banana and very pleasant honey, biscuits and toffee. 8,7:On the palate, the attack is fruity and creamy with tropical fruits like passion fruit, yellow fruits, pear and charred and spicy peppery wood notes like caramel, creamy vanilla, nutty toffee and leather.Then come a bit bitter industrial notes with rubber, tar, a bit waxy, perhaps plastic, citrus rounds up our tasting nicely.It quickly becomes dry, but it is round and tasty.Later on, the molasses is darker with licorice, a bit vegetal, with a whiff of smoke. 8,5:The finish is long, industrial, dry and woody with charred notes like nougat, caramel, nuts, spicy, the fruits are dried with apricots, raisins and berries.Industrial notes like rubber, tar overshadow other notes with bitterness, so the rum is less balanced now.We could also taste some tobacco.
Review by TheRhumhoe
A relatively young Caroni offering a rather indulgent olfactory profile on nuts, chocolate, and mocha, with roasted, spicy, and empyreumatic notes (tar, rubber). While it doesn't appear as deep as other vintages, it has the merit of bringing a breath of youth and freshness. Caramel candy sensation. Very easy-drinking and round. The Caroni markers are here in the background. Spices, chocolate, nuts, and roasted notes form the backbone of an atypical but very easy-to-drink rum. The reduction also plays its role, but the alcohol remains well integrated. The finish is a bit thinner and duller. The dry, spicy, and smoky side returns with a bit more bitterness and a touch of menthol. A surprising Caroni that makes you think about what the distillery could have offered with younger profiles if it still existed.
Review by Joachim Guger
An old residual sample, but the nose is promising. Pure Caroni, this rum takes no prisoners despite the 50%. Very fresh, plenty of dirty workshop and fruitiness. Then it cleans up in the mouth! Have I been sucking on the gas can? With plenty of caramel. It becomes tame on the finish. The essence of Caroni. Awesome!
Review by Leo Krüper
I like it better than in memory. Maybe also good not to pit it against its older brothers. So you have a matured Trinidad rum without much tar and asphalt. The Caroni DNA doesn't come through very concretely, but I like the rum well. Slightly bitter finish. Alcohol well integrated.
Review by cigares
A rum tasted in a restaurant, the bottle barely opened. The nose is both fresh and full of mechanical workshop and fruit notes. A real good surprise! Things go downhill on the palate where the flavors seem diluted, lack of aging? So the finish is also diluted. The score can only be greatly reduced, especially compared to other Caronis Velier of the evening. The empty glass is full of aromas with fruit and mechanical/smoky workshop equally.
Review by Felix Reiber
This 12-year-old Caroni has a really harmonious and fruity nose. The typical, pleasant Caroni notes stand out and show themselves especially with pear, wood, dried fruits, almond, berries and tobacco. On the palate it is then unexpectedly woody and nicely spicy. Leather, pepper, licorice and black tea set the tone and are interwoven with slightly smoky reflections. Vanilla, almond and pear resonate in the background. The medium to long finish is pleasantly spicy and mainly lives from spices, tobacco, barrel and mint. Alongside almond and dark chocolate there is still some smoke to be perceived. Caroni is always fun and has recognizability. Thanks to @DanielS for the sample.
Review by Serge
Nice, easy sipping 2000 Caroni with a nice nose but then already quite thin on the palate. Still very good and I personally prefer it to the 15 (which has a little more %) ... but I also prefer the 2000 Vintage. A good deal in the tropical. Aroni range, but I like the Caroni Navy (also 2000) better. I particularly like the mix of tar, ash and sweet pear on the palate/finish. I miss some cherry or tropical fruit, which the Navy has.
Review by Maxence
Very dirty Caroni right after opening the bottle ⛽️ After 1 year of oxydation, the magic happens and we get a very round Caroni with loads of banana. Nice one !
Review by TheJona'Spirits
👃 Here are the typical rubber notes mixed with a rather rich and oily vanilla. The woodiness is mixed with smells of cleaning products and garage gasoline. The fruits are diverse, tropical, orchard, dry. I like the slight hints of tanned product and dried tobacco. 😋 Salty mix of tire, tar, gasoline. Really soft and dry this 12 years, the reduction makes it a true easy sipper in this style. The woodiness is more pronounced than on the nose, wood smoke, almost charred, vanilla and melted licorice. A light fruitiness leaning towards starfruit and earthy pear. ⛳ Long, dry, bitter and tarry. The cask expresses itself for a long time, lively peppers, smoke, rich vanilla, very dark bitter chocolate. Touch of menthol freshness, closer to dried leaf tobacco. 💡 Typical Caroni spirit, no more no less. Today, at 250-300🍒, it no longer holds its very good value for money status but remains the base to discover the specifics of the mythical distillery (with the replica to some extent).
Review by Thunderbird
A nice agreeable Caroni with the typical aromas, but more on the spicy woody side. Also, it shows a slight bitterness on the palate and finish. The alcohol is perfectly integrated. Not an easy sipper, but wonderful for a relaxed evening.
Review by Timo Groeger
Caroni of course can't be missing, I always rate it better than average anyway :) But yeah, the dirty Caroni vibes come through well here too. Rubber, leather, tar, wood, but also a bit of bike inner tube can be clearly detected.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
First off, this rum needs to rest for at least 15 minutes and I found that in order to release all the flavours it needs a few drops of water. The nose has some sweet alcohol to it mixed with oak and vanilla. The palate is spicy and dry, especially without the water, oak and spices are well integrated in the overall sip. The finish is long, dry and spicy with the barrel clearly present. Price to quality is OK.
Review by Christoph
Surprisingly complex for only 12 years. You find many Caroni typical notes like rubber and bicycle tube. In the background, but still present, fruity notes of pear. Finish dry and slightly bitter.
Review by Jeremie Edde
Very good Caroni! The youngest of the Velier series but it doesn't have to be ashamed in front of its 3 brothers. It proudly carries the colors of the distillery. If you don't like this rum, in my opinion, you don't like Caroni.
Review by Gregor
Typical representative of its kind. Crazy tire very dry. Super intense even though it only has 50 proof.
Review by Steffmaus🇩🇰
A tasting with a good friend, where I'm finally able to re-taste and review this one! To me, this is a typical Caroni, with some a lot of diesel and smokyness in the nose, and heavyness in the notes, where I'm getting tar wood and some sweetness
Review by Beach-and-Rum 🏖️🌴
Clear Caroni DNA on the nose with a pleasant sweetness. Compared to the 15-year-old, less alcoholic. A bit less wood but more tar and typical Caroni notes. Very soft and smooth.
Review by Martin Spooner
Only relatively restrained on the nose. Rubber and raisin notes are however easy to sniff out. On the palate a bit dry but still a nice aroma. Not the expected rubber bomb but still tasty.
Review by Benoit Mahe
A great Caroni. Sweetness and freshness. Too bad the prices have taken off.
Review by Rare Akuma
Tasted at SDR’24. On the nose the lower proof and youthfulness translate into a light profile of resin, short-steeped black tea, chewing tobacco and a side of marzipan. It’s unmistakably Caroni though. After some time in the glass the classic markers of rubber, tar and asphalt appear. With piercing through lovely notes of passionfruit and thyme. In the mouth accessible; oaky, dry and richly shrouded in dried fruits and rock candy. The mid-palate has lots of rubber and more hints of allspice and thyme. Unexpectedly tannic. The finish is medium in length. More woods, spice, rubber and thyme. It’s dry and astringent, like after a glass of nice red wine. For some inexplicable reason I had low expectations of this, which apparently were unjustified.
Review by DomM
Some nice Caroni notes on the nose alsongside some fruits. Palate is quite sweet and approachable for what you would expect. All in all quite nice with clearly noticeable Caroni DNA. Still a bit too tamed down for me personally.
Review by DosenZorn
Tried as a 2cl sample. Smells very fruity, especially dried dates and pear, combined with leather, vanilla, and that dirty bicycle inner tube. Here the typical Caroni taste that you read about so often is also omnipresent. The fruits that you still have clearly present in the nose appear only minimally now. Wood, leather, tar, and spices clearly dominate here. No alcohol taste at all. Great rum. Edit: after some time in the air, the fruity note in the nose fades and gives way to a much more intense rubber smell. Somehow reminds me a bit of workshop smell.
Review by Frank
My entry-level Caroni. Not too extreme on the nose. Slightly metallic-fresh and with the typical aromas reminiscent of singed plastic. Fruity smoky. Some pear, tobacco, vanilla. On the palate it falls off a bit, feels a bit thin for a Caroni. At first a brief pear, then a lot of licorice and also the singed plastic comes through. Also some tar might be present. At the end some sweetness and lovage, somehow reminds me of Maggi. As an entry-level Caroni I find it absolutely good. Not too extreme but typical.
Review by Fuwi
This bottling is a very nice way to dive into the dirty and edgy world of Caroni and you can get a first good impression of what to expect. On the nose, spicy notes along with tar and rubber, slight sweetness and fruits come through. On the palate, compared to other older representatives, quite mild and reserved - but full of Caroni DNA! If you want to slowly explore this flavor world, this is a good option.
Review by Filip Šikula
This is Caroni to my taste. Rubber, tar, wood. Intense technical nose, we walk through grandpa's workshop. We stop, have a drink, and return to that workshop for a long time. I really like these technical Caronis, in this case a bottle still quite accessible. Excellent.
Review by primus
Powerful Caroni, or Caroni with the known intense nose of tar, motor oil, and almond. Full-bodied on the palate with dark sugar, oak, spices, and tropical fruit. Dirty but gentle. Long, dry finish.
Review by Sebastian.W
Tasted at SDR2024.
Review by lars
The rating might be slightly influenced by the last two days of cold - so I'll keep some for a possible correction. I recognize Caroni, but something is just missing. Just dirt, rubber, and wood don't really grab me right now. So not a complete fail, but unfortunately no high marks today.
Review by alex
I had already tasted it a few years ago, and I just dived my nose back into it... What a treat. Despite its young age, it has all the usual markers of great Caroni. A real bomb. Too bad it's only a simple one because a bottle would suit me very well ❤️❤️❤️
Review by Romain de L
Rubber, asphalt, « true » Caroni from that sense, with coffee / chocolate feel. Quite fresh / minted nonetheless - but not as complex as other versions. Very pleasant
Review by Philip M. 🇧🇪
16/01/2026: tasting at home. Very approachable and tasty Caroni. I like the fact that the relative young age brings the typical dirty notes of diesel and rubber. This is quintessential Caroni and very drinkable. Recommended.
Review by Lot-NAS
Good Caroni, the nose is really opulent and promising, but the palate can’t really follow up to the initial expectations. The finish makes up a little bit for the palate. Overall a nice one to tick off your bucket-list but in the end not worth the current price.
Review by Han
My first Caroni... not as off-putting as I thought: bicycle inner tube is something nice! A definite sweetness.
Review by Nika
Well, this young guy haven’t make me blush. Nice technical rum, tech is very notable in scent as well. But less interesting one from Caroni family.
Review by Michael Schou
Rate 7.8 Tasted it a few times back in 2015 or 2016. Was not a big fan of Caroni back then. A lot has changed 😉 31-07-2025 - Rate 8.5 A lot has happened during the last 8 years. Are more found of Caroni. This I far from the best Caroni’s I have tasted, but its pretty good for what it is. 12 years and only 50% ABV. Non the less, it tasted pretty good. Notes of leather, wood, glue, tar, spices and vanilla. Palate is round and nice with hints of mostly wood and tar, but smooth. Medium finish whit hints of tar and wood.
Review by bur2000
Like with its longer-aged siblings, I immediately think: Rum when smelling it. Classic rum aroma. A closer sniff reveals rubber and sweetness, tar. But very fresh and cool, accompanied by a fruity aroma, not the overripe tropical fruits from Jamaica, but rather dark, towards cherry. Overall, not an extreme workshop but very round and pleasant. On the palate it's very intense, clear vanilla hints from the wood, a certain tingling from the alcohol and distinct workshop, oily, workshop. But also here by no means overwhelming, rather a nice combo. The finish is medium length and shows itself light, almost floral with cherry and some workshop. Really nice, pleasant to drink rum.
Review by Solidfunk
Smell of burning tires and overripe banana. Vanilla, tonka bean almost. Caramel. Pours golden. More smoke in the mouth. Fairly intense. Not as good as the replica one I had recently, but still fun. Caramle and vanilla on the finish. Sample thanks to Yaro.
Review by Madi Dromamad
The finish is absolutely magnificent. Of intense and evolving length.
Review by ruliano
That was my last bottle bought when it was worth 50€, a time when there was no speculation on rum. Given current prices, that will have been my only experience with Caroni. But it was worth it. Damn, it was so good! That experience of tar and petroleum in the mouth, you want more.
Review by Jindrich Strobl
Need to reevaluate my rating. For the first taste quite dry and technical. After adding few drops of water a whole new palette of the nose and taste has developed. Very nice!
Review by Tintin88
My 2nd Caroni, after the Replica 100th, and really not disappointed. Not necessarily a taste that makes you want more but by letting it aerate well and taking sips again it fades a bit and lets great flavors reveal themselves. A bit strong on the tar side both on the nose and on the palate but I think it's a habit you get used to by testing great rums of this type. Not disappointed at all!!!
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
Soft, sweet and indulgent nose. Powerful. Behind these sweet notes, there is woodiness and spiciness but all well controlled. But above all tar, which is Caroni's trademark. On the palate it is soft, not aggressive. Woody, smoky. Actually petroleum! The finish is long, it’s delicious. It’s chocolatey. Incredible this big gap between nose and palate. I love it.
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Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 7.6/10. 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 →I would fully expect a lot of people not to "get this". At around £50 it's not a purchase you should rush into. As an example of a genuinely unaltered classic and historic rum this is a must have. If you're looking for something fruity to add to cola.....take a...
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Community shelf
570 bottles logged by 338 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
14% opened, 38 emptied.
What does Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 12 HTR 2000 cost?
Community paid 40–347 €.
Current best price: 331.64 € – within the typical community range.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 235 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
+16 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.
570 purchased · 193 tasted · 63 wishlist · as of
Details about Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 12 HTR 2000
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Velier, at 50%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
All releases in this series
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1974
Velier Caroni Light Trinidad Rum 1982
Velier Caroni Light Trinidad Rum 1982
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1982
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1982
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1982
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1983
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1983
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1984
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1984
Velier Caroni Old Legend Trinidad Rum 1985
Velier Caroni Blended Trinidad Rum 1985
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1985
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1985
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1985
Velier Caroni Blended Trinidad Rum 1988
Velier Caroni Light Trinidad Rum 1989
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1989
Velier Caroni Blended Trinidad Rum 1991
Velier Caroni Blended Trinidad Rum 1991
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
Velier Caroni Blended Trinidad Rum 1993
Velier Caroni High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1994
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1994
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1994
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1994
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1994
Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 21 1996
Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 15 HTR 1998
Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 17 HTR 1998
Velier Caroni 100% Trinidad Rum 12 HTR 2000
Velier Caroni High Proof Trinidad Rum (EU) HTR 2000
La Maison & Velier Caroni High Proof Trinidad Rum (US) HTR 2000
Velier Caroni Millennium Magnum HTR 2000
Velier Caroni 30th Release Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 31st Release High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 32nd Release Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1998
Velier Caroni 33th Release High Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1998
Velier Caroni 34th Release 100 Proof Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996
Velier Caroni 35th Release Heavy Trinidad Rum (Trespassers) HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 36th Release Heavy Trinidad Rum Guyana Stock HTR 1994
Velier Caroni 37th Release Heavy Trinidad Rum Guyana Stock HTR 1994
Velier Caroni 38th Release Tasting Gang Blended Trinidad Rum 1996
Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996
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