Monday, 2 January 2023

SMWS R13.2 Caroni Rum Review!

My first review of 2023, and it's not even a whisky! Why am I reviewing a rum on Peated Perfection? Well, firstly because it's delicious, but there are two other reasons. I'm sure we're all tired of hearing the words "...it's a whisky drinker's X" following any 'malternative' spirit reviews these days, but I might have to use the phrase myself this time!

Image from french-connections.whisky.fr (LMDW).

Firstly, this is not just any rum. This is the rum equivalent of something like a Brora or Port Ellen, or perhaps more accurately like a Convalmore, since this distillery will never be rebuilt or reopened. This is a Caroni rum from the now-legendary dead distillery which was located on the small Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago from 1923-2002. Just like Port Ellen, Convalmore and many others, Caroni was underappreciated while it was operating, and the cult status that it now enjoys began after its death twenty years ago. The second reason for this rum review is that this is a 22-year old single cask Caroni from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), only the second cask that they've bottled from the distillery, hence the code R13.2. The "R" denotes that it's a rum rather than a malt whisky, with R13 representing the 13th rum distillery the SMWS bottled - which is Caroni - and the .2 meaning this is their second cask of Caroni. This is one of two rum bottlings that I've tried from the SMWS, and the other was everything that I don't want and don't like in a rum. I'm no rum connoisseur mind you, but frankly I'd liken that one more to industrial drain cleaner rather than a potable spirit, and I have to question why it was ever bottled. That said, a couple of (possibly insane and/or masochistic) people did claim to enjoy it, so who am I to judge - as always it's an entirely subjective thing. But we'll forget about that little transgression, since this Caroni more than makes up it! 

I've only started to appreciate Caribbean rums in the last couple of years, having previously avoided the entire category since I properly discovered whisky - and we don't talk about the dark days before that little revelation. But the few examples that I've tried, from Four Square, Hampden, Black Tot and now Caroni, have been excellent spirits. While challenging initially they've offered complexity that comes close to that of a decent malt whisky. Don't get me wrong, I won't be trading my drams for tots anytime soon! But those examples above have given me a new perspective on this spirit that is often misunderstood here in Australia, and even more so in Queensland. A large part of that misunderstanding has to do with sugar, with most novice drum drinkers expecting a sweet experience from their chosen bottom-shelf poison, without realising that many of those examples have actually (entirely legally) had sugar and other sweeteners added to them, rather than that sweetness being a component of the spirit itself. The same goes for artificial colouring in the case of many "dark" or "navy" rums, where the same dreaded E150a that plagues our beloved malt whisky often rears its head en masse. Naturally presented rums that contain no added sugar, no added flavours, no added colouring, and no chill filtration, are often a completely different experience to what many expect. This particular rum though, this 22-year old single cask Caroni, might just be my favourite non-whisky spirit that I've tasted to date. Yes, that's a big claim, and sure, some other challengers aren't far behind. But I stand by it! 

Some of this rum's appeal is certainly Caroni's fascinating - and mysterious - history. The distillery was built in 1923 on the grounds of an old sugar factory located near the island's capital city, Port of Spain. It was owned & operated by the Trinidad government from 1975 until 2001 when they sold a 49% stake to Angostura (of bitters fame). That rather-messy sale was controversial on the island because there were only two rum distilleries operating in Trinidad at the time, Angostura and Caroni, and this sale included most of Caroni's maturing stock going to it's only local competitor. Production at Caroni had already been dwindling since the mid-90s, and it was finally closed in 2002, with the distillery buildings becoming derelict shortly afterwards. The local sugar industry collapsed around the same time, playing a large part in the demise of Caroni, and Angostura is the only surviving distillery in Trinidad, having to import all of its sugarcane. Like most rum distilleries Caroni had both column stills and pot stills on site, although only the column still was used in the last few decades of production and most of the pot still spirit was mixed with neutral alcohol and was intended for blending. Caroni rum was distilled from molasses made from local sugarcane processed on-site, primarily producing a heavy, "navy style" dark rum that like many of the Caribbean rums was once supplied to the British Navy for blending into their sailor's rum rations - a practice which only ceased in 1970.

Fast-forward to 2004 and Caroni's buildings are all-but gone, with only a couple of rusting corrugated iron sheds remaining. But one of those sheds contained a treasure trove! Luca Gargano, owner of Italian liquor distributor & importer Velier, was travelling around Trinidad & Tobago and found, with the help of some former distillery employees, a cache of thousands of maturing casks of Caroni, some dating back to the 1970s. He eventually purchasing the majority of this stock, and while other importers & distributors had some casks and there were small amounts elsewhere (mainly for blending), it was these Velier casks and their bottlings that really put Caroni back on the map for rum enthusiasts, and helped it develop the legendary status that it now has. These days there are thought to only be around 400 casks remaining worldwide, and once they're gone that'll be all she wrote for Caroni rum. While we're talking about Caroni casks, there are a couple of important factors to consider here. Firstly, the distillery did not only produce the heavy, high ester style of rum that has made it so famous. They produced both a light spirit and a heavy spirit, mostly filled & matured separately, but sometimes blended together prior to filling into cask. Many bottlings will declare which style of spirit they contain, but that's not always the case. Secondly and in a similar vein, the final product is hugely dependent on where the cask/s were aged. If they were transported to Europe for maturation, known in the rum world as continental ageing, the result will be considerably different to maturation in the Caribbean, a.k.a. tropical ageing. Obviously continental ageing will give slower, steadier maturation, while tropical ageing will be much more aggressive, and it's not unheard of for a cask to have an angel's share (liquid lost to evaporation) of up to 85% - resulting in in an extremely concentrated rum.

As I've mentioned, this SMWS bottling, R13.2 in their code system, is a 22-year old single cask rum from a single first-fill ex-bourbon barrel, bottled at a cask strength of 62.1% ABV. As you'd expect from 'The Society" there's been no chill filtration, no added colouring, and no added sugar or flavouring involved. It was distilled in January 1998 and bottled in late-2020, and at the time of writing they still have a couple of bottles available in Australia at a reasonable price of $595 AUD - available only to SMWS members, of course. That may sound like a lot of money for a bottle of rum, but believe me, even if you disregard the history & mystery behind this legendary dead distillery, the quality of this rum is worth every cent. Which is not something I'd say very often!


SMWS R13.2, Caroni Rum, 22-year old, 62.1%. Trinidad. 
Distilled January 1998, matured in a single ex-bourbon barrel, bottled late-2020. Cask strength, non-chill filtered, natural colour, no added sugar or flavouring. 267 bottles. 

Colour: Bronze. 

Nose: Spicy, fruity & lightly funky. Old engine oil, overripe pineapple, dried orange. Sweet & spicy ginger fudge in rich dark chocolate. Oily enamel paint. Dark vanilla syrup, brown sugar caramel & cinnamon. Petrol, burnt caramelised banana. Floral spearmint around the edges. 

Texture: Heavy weight. Rich, spicy & oily. Slight heat, but at 62% that's to be expected!

Taste: More old engine oil, burnt caramelised banana, ginger caramel fudge, touches of ripe pineapple & mango further in. A little petrol, dried orange, and a decent whack of sweet wood & cinnamon. Vanilla syrup & dark chocolate. 

Finish: Medium-long length. Ginger caramel fudge, burnt caramelised banana, petrol & spearmint. Sweet wood, dried orange, and brown sugar. Lightly bitter burnt toast to finish. 

Score: 4 out of 5, close to a 4.5 - bearing in mind my limited experience with "proper" rum, of course. 

Notes: What a nose. What a flavour. What a rum! This Caroni is an absolute flavour bomb with plenty on offer, including the trademark "rum funk" estery notes but without going over the top. Rum funk is very different to whisky funk, although sometimes that oily, dirty diesel note is a common thread between the two terms - terms that are subjective at best and vague at worst. But the tasting notes help differentiate these estery notes, with overripe fruit - sometimes verging on rotten - and petrol. Just like rancio notes in sherried whisky (or sherry) and tannins in wine, these are divisive aromas & flavours that aren't for everyone. And some rums really push that envelope for those who are relatively new to it. This isn't one of them though, the "funk" is kept in check, at least to my palate. This is actually quite easy going despite the big ABV and the complexity that it carries with it. 

Yes, I'm going to have to say it. It's a whisky drinkers rum. Sorry, I had to get that out of my system! Highly recommended. 

Cheers!

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