Caroni 1974 Bristol Spirit

Tasting note by Hubert Corman.

Price : 200/230€, 70cl and 46°. 1,500 bottles were released.

Age : Distilled in 1974 and bottled by Bristol in 2008, after 34 years of aging. According to John Barret - director of Bristol Spirits - the rum was aged entirely on site (Trinidad).

If Caroni needs no introduction, sometimes certain vintages bottled by independent merchants reveal to amateurs still surprising facets of this lost distillery. Flanked in the heart of Trinidad, erect, proud of its passage, will it still manage to dazzle us on the dormant stock? If a good number of bottlings have elevated Caroni to the title of extraterrestrial of rum, this Caroni 1974 should send it into orbit.

COLOR:
Patinated copper, old bronze, vermilion reflection, oily and hyper sticky to the glass. Long legs slowly flowing which already indicates the behavior of this venerable Trinidad.

NOSE:
You have to let this rum open for twenty long minutes, and be patient above all! The rum is very complex and full of notes of hydrocarbons, superb notes of Christmas spices, old Drambuie herbal liqueurs.

Cinnamon, leather, Lajaunie liquorice, prunes, winter honey, bay leaf, brown cane sugar, flambéed bananas, crème brûlée, light woodiness, candied apricot, caramelized pineapple, very ripe orange, sweet Grand Marnier, toasted almonds.

PALATE:
Hydrocarbons, cachou Zan, waxy, candied fruits, with a very very nice length and impeccable roundness, a perfect balance with the nose, cooked apples Calvados, gingerbread.

This bottling made by Bristol Spirit, reflects the research, the accuracy of the assembly and the reduction to 46° which is perfect. This is a pure marvel to really note in your research notebook.
Note: 95

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

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