Lot presentation

Caroni 21 years 1996 Of. 100° Imperial Proof bottled 2017 Velier Extra Strong

The wine

A molasses-based rum produced from Trinidad sugar cane, distilled in February 1996 at the Caroni distillery (closed in 2003) and aged on the island of Trinidad until 22 February 2017. Bottled in Scotland in April 2017 for the Italian company Velier (owner of the last stocks of rum from the distillery and the Caroni brand). Small batch limited edition of approximately 7,000 bottles worldwide.

About the Producer Caroni

The Caribbean, Trinidad. Distillery closed, site dismantled.

In 1975, under pressure from across the country, the government of Trinidad nationalized a number of companies, including Tate & Lyle, the English giant of sugar production and owner of Caroni Ltd since 1937. The very competitive economic context, however, led to the closure of the island's sugar refineries and the collapse of the molasses production required for the production of rum. In 2001, the government sold its shares in Rum Distillers Ltd (Caroni) to Angostura and closed the distillery in 2002. Caroni Ltd would be definitively liquidated on 31 July 2003. In October 2004, Luca Gargano, the CEO of the Italian spirit distributor Velier and a passionate rum enthusiast and photographer, visited Trinidad to carry out research for a future report. There he found the site abandoned and, within its cellars, a huge stock of barrels, some distilled in 1974. The story of Caroni began in 2005 and the distillery immediately became the subject of lore.