Caroni Guyana Stock is Velier's 36th release from the closed distillery: a Heavy Trinidad Rum distilled in 1994 and bottled in 2017 at its natural cask strength of 57.18%. The release counts 6,642 bottles and belongs to the Velier era that fixed Caroni's reputation among serious collectors. AGEING: the rum first matured in Trinidad, then continued its tropical development at Demerara Distillers in Guyana after the remaining Caroni stocks were moved there. That double tropical path gives the bottling its name and explains the dense structure, high evaporation and unusually compact profile. SERVING: pour neat at room temperature in a tulip glass and give it time before the first sip. A few drops of still water can be added after ten minutes. At the table, pair with espresso, aged hard cheese, grilled beef or a full-bodied Nicaraguan cigar.
Tasting notes
Deep mahogany copper.
Tar, aged leather, diesel oil, dark tobacco, camphor, burnt sugar and black tea.
Massive and dry: asphalt, liquorice, cocoa, resin, oak tannin, pepper and concentrated molasses.
Long, tannic finish with smoke, engine oil, black pepper, dry wood and mineral grip.
Caroni was founded in 1918 near San Fernando in Trinidad and became the emblem of Heavy Trinidad Rum. The state-owned distillery supplied powerful, tarry spirit for blends and naval-style rum before Trinidad's sugar industry declined. Angostura acquired a 49% stake in 2001, and Caroni closed in 2002. Luca Gargano of Velier later found remaining casks in the warehouses, turning the lost distillery into one of rum's central collector myths.
88 Bamboo review
RumX: 9.0/10 from 179 reviews. RumX Awards: bronze in 2025, 2024 and 2023.
