Caroni 21 Y.O. Guyana 1996 Heavy single cask R 5620 Vol.64,3% Cl.150

The Caroni 21 Years Old Magnum Vintage 1996 is an extraordinary bottling from the legendary, now-defunct Caroni distillery in Trinidad, released by Velier in 2017 to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Velier companies.

This edition, aged for over two decades in tropical conditions, is celebrated for its intensity, depth, and unmistakable Caroni character.

The presentation in a 1.5L magnum bottle makes this version even more exclusive, embodying rarity and prestige in equal measure.

Founded in 1923 in Trinidad and Tobago on the site of the former Caroni sugar factory, using both copper and column stills, Caroni produced rums known for their high alcohol content, which were supplied to the British Navy.

Despite protests, the Trinidadian government sold the distillery to Angostura in 2001, and it closed in 2002.

But in 2004, during a visit to Trinidad, Luca Gargano learned of a warehouse full of rum barrels in the abandoned distillery.

The barrels were bought, bottled, and sold, and today they are eagerly sought after by collectors.

This 1996 magnum, bottled in 2017 following an 85% angel share, is one of 119 examples bottled by Velier in Italy.

A very rare collector's item and a legendary rum!

In January 2017, together with two great rum enthusiasts, Germans Stefan Kerner and Egon Hilpmann, we tasted samples of the remaining barrels from Caroni's Guyana stock (the 1994 Heavy, the 1996 Heavy, and the 1996 Blended) in Genoa to elect the best cask for each.

For its 70th Anniversary, Velier has designed a special bottle: a hand-blown glass magnum crafted by Venetian master glassmaker Massimo Lunardon.

This magnum of Caroni 21 Year Old Guyana from 1996 is one of 119 examples bottled by Velier in Italy at the Capovilla distillery.

Characteristics:

Distilled in: 1996

Bottled in: 2017

Aging: 21 y.o.

Cask No. SINGLE CASK 5620

Bottles produced: 119

Note: Cask #R5620 containing 125.48 g/hl was aged from 1996 to 2008 in Trinidad and from 2008 to 2017 in Guyana in the DDL warehouses.