Caroni 1998 Rum, The Whisky Jury

Nose: ripe bananas, praline and cedar wood come out first, with slightly less diesel this time. Still some tar and liquorice though. Old brass. Dried herbs. After a while it also shows red berries, toffee and menthol. Not the most extreme Caroni, this is relatively round, but really nice.
Mouth: more power now. Plenty of tar and heavy liquorice, shoe polish and black olives. Thyme and oregano. Deep menthol and hints of Fisherman’s Friend. Luckily there’s still a dark fruity side and some heavy caramel to keep things in check.
Finish: long, still these sweet berries, a little herbal honey, dark oak and a mint.

Heavyweight yet with balancing sweeter notes. While nosing it I thought it was going to be a frankly soft version, but on the palate you are reminded that this is proper Caroni. Overall a great experience. Score: 90/100

Colour: amber. Nose: a softer Caroni, with some chocolate, mocha, sawdust, walnut shell and just one black olive. With water: chocolate and pinecones. It really is a easier Caroni. Mouth (neat): much bigger, tighter, more compact than on the nose. Salted nuts and acidic coffees, plus black and bitter chocolate. With water: very good but down, salty but with a thinner body. Tea tannins, white chocolate. Finish: medium. Sugar cane, not much else. Very light tar. Comments: as we all know, there are various kinds of Caronis; this might well be one of the lightest. As they say in Putin's army, nothing to write home about.
SGP:451 - 84 points.