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| Hello, that is one in every of our (virtually) day by day tastings. Santé! |
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August 8, 2021
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5 Caroni 1997-1998
Or extra, we’ll see. Caroni’s a bit like Port Ellen, each time anybody releases a brand new expression they inform you that the shares are almost exhausted. However naturally…
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A phrase of warning
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are accomplished from the perspective of a malt whisky fanatic who, what’s extra, is aboslutely not an skilled in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or another spirits. Thanks – and peace! |
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Caroni 23 yo 1997/2021 (48.5%, Rum Sponge, No.3B) 
From two barrels of ‘early landed’ Caroni, so casks which have spent the bigger a part of their life in timid Europe earlier than the stressed Sponge put his paws on them and determined to marry them. Color: deep gold. Nostril: typical heavy Caroni, you’d virtually imagine it was made by British Petroleum. So heavy oil, coal tar, olives and capers, eucalyptus, new rubber boots, then slightly one thing meatier, round hen soup, miso and baked marrow. Chorba, paprika, maybe just a few oak shavings, then pancake sauce, molasses… Mouth: you can instantly perceive why this used to slightly be a dresser in British-style rums, as even when this one was lowered by the Sponge, it is nonetheless fats, dry, tough, and actually very petroly and tarry, with fairly some salt too. I am slightly a sucker for this fashion (certainly, the Port Ellen of rum) however I’d perceive why some pals would say it’s ‘somewhat an excessive amount of’. End: lengthy tarry, salty, thick. Heavy liquorice and bitter oranges within the aftertaste. Feedback: frankly, it is received every part you want and it additional takes water, remaining very beautiful and fairly fats even at simply 40%. This begins properly.
SGP:363 – 90 factors. |
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Only a phrase about these ‘shipped casks’ that haven’t matured on location. Are they ‘genuine’, are they not? I’d imagine it is actually all a matter of definition of what an origin is, so far as aged spirits go mine would/ought to handle 4 pillars. 1. The origins of the uncooked substances. 2. The strategies of manufacturing, often conventional. 3. The place maturation takes place (personal warehouse, area, nation?) 4. Organoleptical evaluation (presumably with a tasting committee). However generally, makers agree with what they do and have a tendency to fly their very own flags, which is barely pure; for instance, the origins of the molasses, not to mention the sugarcanes, are hardly ever marketed as one thing essential to rum, simply because the origins of barley aren’t fairly often in Scotch, whereas it’s paramount in cognac or armagnac, or calvados… Proper, to be additional mentioned over a glass of riesling.
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Good, I am afraid our holidays are over, all different Caronis we have being high-voltage ones… (Fasten your seat belt S.)
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Caroni 1997/2021 (60.6%, Wu Dram Clan, cask #59, 224 bottles)
This one appears to have been bottled for varied most distinguished entities, together with in Japan. Such a small world… Color: amber. Nostril: clearly very comparable. Look, I would have beloved to put in writing a protracted tasting word for this one too however frankly, the rums are the identical and any variations, past what’s associated to the strengths, would most likely be the work of the thoughts. Now we may touch upon the label, which may be very fairly and gracious. With water: maybe a wee tad brinier, extra on black tapenade maybe… Maybe not… Mouth (neat): it actually is identical rhum, solely punchier. Similar tarry, olive-y, petroly, salty fashion. With water: once more, maybe somewhat extra brine, somewhat extra seawater, gherkins… End: lengthy, wonderful, vivid. Maybe grapefruits slightly than oranges? Not too certain. Feedback: these aren’t straightforward to tell apart, actually. Wonderful.
SGP:363 – 90 factors. |
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Caroni 1998/2021 (62.2%, Wu Dram Clan, cask #2109, 226 bottles) 
Color: amber. Nostril: slightly completely different this time, somewhat extra mineral and medicinal, extra coastal too, with salted anchovies, somewhat harissa, overripe bananas… However at this excessive power it is laborious to get to its backside, so to talk. So with water: it will converge once more, as if water would work as an amazing equalizer. Maybe somewhat caramel, past the liquorice and the tar? Some pencil shavings. Mouth (neat): somewhat brutal and varnishy, however that is the power. Numbs your tongue when you’re not cautious. With water: sure, somewhat extra on varnish and on coastal notes (clams) plus marmalade and somewhat toffee, and fir honey. End: lengthy, on comparable notes. Feedback: excellent rum as soon as once more, however I am afraid this might be a really troublesome session as you may discover many much less variations and even nuances than when you style, say six or seven Port Ellens.
SGP:363 – 88 factors. |
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Unsure I ought to have thrown myself into this very slim sort of session… I love to do them with whisky, however with rum? Umpff…
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Caroni 22 yo 1998/2021 (60.7%, Liquid Treasures for Nanyang Whisky and Rejo Beverage, barrel, 218 bottles)
Color: amber. Nostril: a notch fruitier, extra stewed and jammy, however as soon as once more the nuances are tiny at 60% vol. Flower jams? With water: a tad tighter than the earlier one. Brinier but? Some carbon mud maybe… Mouth (neat): salted caramel, seawater, and the biggest bag of liquorice there ever was. With water: very salty, virtually smoky at occasions. I bear in mind some ultra-young Ardbegs on the SMWS, an excellent 15 years in the past… End: very lengthy. A wee sourness within the aftertaste. Pomelos. Feedback: very excellent…
SGP:463 – 89 factors. |
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You need to watch out with these sorts of session as a result of when the spirits show excessive aromas, reminiscent of heavy smoke or tar, our mind (or is it a matter of olfactory bulb) will begin to filter these out and you will have the impression that the spirits are decreasingly peaty, or phenolic, or salty and so on. That is laborious to manage however if you’re conscious of which you could ‘straighten up’ your emotions. So to talk…
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Caroni 23 yo 1998/2021 (62.2%, Wealth Options, The Colors of Rum, cask #47, 249 bottles)
We have had some very beautiful Foursquares from this new sequence (and we’ll have many extra). Color: amber. Nostril: maybe somewhat extra biscuity, extra on praline, truffles, nougat… However in any other case it stays a tar and liquorice bomb, solely with much less diesel oil than within the 1997s. Some menthol; I’ve to say some traits may counsel this was aged within the tropics slightly than in Europe (or yeah, within the UK) however I am unsure about that in any respect. What’s extra, with international warming, we could get a tropical local weather in Europe too. With water: herbs and hay, dried kelp, some engine oil. Caroni, eh. Mouth: extraordinarily punchy, with some concentrated lemon juice and simply plenty of salt. Don’t even contemplate not including any water. With water: oh excellent, citrusy, much less buoyant than the others, extra ‘digestive’, extra ‘previous Macallan’ (no matter meaning)… Briefly, extra malternative. End (neat): lengthy, huge and balanced. An elephant on a tightrope. Some tar is again within the aftertaste. Feedback: this you can quaff.
SGP:463 – 90 factors. |
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Good, I’ve clearly overestimated my power and will have left this sort of session to correct rum specialists (psst, I say all rum blenders deserve an increase!) A really final one… (cross my coronary heart…)
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Caroni 22 yo 1998/2020 (61.5%, Hunter Laing, Kill Satan for HNWS Taiwan, hogshead, cask #18159, 371 bottles)
No pic that I may discover for this pretty new child bottled for HNWS a.ok.a. House Want Wine & Spirits nevertheless it’s most likely much like the one I’ve put. Color: amber. Nostril: this one appears to be even fruitier, simpler, most likely extra elegant, however menthol and tar hold working the present. Clear whiffs of bicycle interior tubes too. Pomegranate jam? However bear in mind, our mind’s filtering out the smoky or phenolic notes… Nougat and praline. With water: bitter cherries and sandal wooden, that is slightly very good. Stewed apricots. Mouth (neat): huuuge, very ‘nervous’, virtually biting. A great deal of peppermint. With water: pink grapefruits, rubber, tar, liquorice, peach liqueurs… End: lengthy, a tad medicinal. Cough syrup and orange juice. Feedback: beautiful drop however that is getting too robust.
SGP:552 – 89 factors. |
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Phew, by no means once more, they have been all too comparable (however as somebody mentioned, that repetition would have made Philip Glass proud, ha)… This was my Everest this yr, it’s a lot simpler to style 12 Ardbegs… or certainly 12 rums from varied origins and at varied ages. I imagine that is what we’ll subsequent time, this was manner too slim. However Caroni, what a make, thoughts you, to suppose that we may have had six Diplomaticos or Don Papas as a substitute… (And I insist, all rum blenders deserve a big pay rise!)
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 Test the index of all rums we have tasted up to now
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