Aroma visualization from community tastings
Hebridean Liqueur Company Caroni Ancient Mariner Navy Rum HTR 1995
Sipped neat, this 1995 Caroni leans to the softer, sweeter, fruitier end of the mark: tropical fruit and butterscotch up front, then the classic tar, rubber and bicycle-tube funk, with cocoa and a mint-menthol finish. At 54% the alcohol sits gently integrated. Several tasters call it a fine way into Caroni, though funk chasers note it's "lacking some of the more industrial" notes.
The community says- Balanced tar and fruit
- Well-integrated alcohol
- Soft for Caroni
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The look inside the bottle
How does Hebridean Liqueur Company Caroni Ancient Mariner Navy Rum HTR 1995 taste?
Aggregated from 30 community reviews.
Soft, fruity, easygoing Caroni sipper Widely liked as a gentle, well-balanced Caroni — fruity, dirty and easy to drink. The honest catch: fans of the heavy-hitters find it a touch soft and light for the style.
People curious about Caroni who want a gentler, fruity entry
Fans chasing heavy, industrial Caroni funk
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
11 of 30 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Hebridean Liqueur Company Caroni Ancient Mariner Navy Rum HTR 1995 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 sits in the “Very good” band. 100% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
10% rate it between 6 and 8. 19 selected write-ups from 30 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by cigares
Most helpful positive review
A rare 1995 Caroni still available in England for a very good price. The nose is a silky mix of tropical fruit and rubber with a brown sugar/caramel edge. The palate is soft, with lots of fruit and little machine shop. A far cry from the 1997s, very close to the 1996s in fact, with a real balance of all the Caroni aromas. A rum with broad, deep aromas but with great drinkability thanks to a very fine integration of the alcohol. In the same vein as 2002's Gran Torino, but despite a higher ABV, the Gran Torino has a better integration of ink alcohol. I love it and recommend it!
Review by Pavel Spacek
Most helpful mixed review
Oh - bitter sour, without caroni smell.
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Rubber and tar. A really very pleasing, smooth Caroni. With more watts, the rating would certainly have been higher. But still a well-rounded thing, a contender for daily sipper at a high level.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
02.03.2019 Enjoying some samples with a good friend. Colour Dark in colour. Nose Wood, lightly sweet, fruits, plum, light rubber, light raisin, faint medicinal, spice. Palate Round, wood, spicy, fruits, light plum, faint medical, light nutts, faint chocolate, faint rubber. Finish Long and warm, wood, light roasted, fruits, light chocolate, faint nutts, faint rubber.
Review by DomM
Nice one. Rather more on the sweet side with nice depth and complexity.
Review by Djehey
This is a caroni that I appreciate very much for its accessibility, balance and depth.The palate is fat and vanilla, reminiscent of a custard. This is accompanied by a fine woody, smoky note, tobacco, rubber and a little tar. These last notes become fuller as the rum gets airier.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Very classic and really balanced Caroni from 1995. Dirty, fruity, spicy and freshly herbal. Tar and rubber meet menthol, cocoa and citrus fruits as well as banana and pineapple. Overall very mild and balanced.
Review by Mentalo
1995 Caroni. You don't find too many bottlings of this vintage. Alcohol is well integrated. Brings a relatively high level of sweetness. Fruity with subtle dirty notes. Round number, but there are certainly better ones
Review by Beach-and-Rum 🏖️🌴
A rare Navy rum that is hard to come by today. It is not a blend but a pure Trinidad Caroni. Very smooth and light rum which is almost a little drinkable due to the 54%. A good introduction to the world of Caronis but no comparison to the heavyweights from Velier.
Review by kondgab
Nose opens with leather, tobacco, rubber, tar, a touch of grime, and tropical fruits. Palate follows with bicycle tube, smoke, leather, tobacco, and fruit. Finish adds mint and menthol. ABV feels slightly low.
Review by Lukas Jäger
95 Caroni, almost a unicorn compared to the widespread and really strong 96 vintage. This Caroni is more on the sweet, fruity side and somehow almost a little weak, despite being 54%. Nevertheless, there's also plenty of dirt, rubber and some mint and menthol. Not a bad Caroni, but also a good piece of the (Velier) top!
Review by Banana Joe
Toller, fruchtiger Caroni, der aber auch mit den eher dreckigen Aromen wie Teer und Gummi daherkommt. Super ausgewogen und dank des mittelhohen ABV sehr angenehm zu trinken. Ein easy Skipper der Mittelklasse.
Review by Shridhar Acharya
Complex yet so subtle. Beautiful nose that starts with leather, tobacco, tar and burnt rubber. Came back to it after 15 min and the tobacco notes were even more pronounced. On the palate, a bit of clove, then immediately felt the old leather and then almost an amaretto like wave that lasted. Finish was long and lingering. The ABV was perfect, not overpowering. Powerful complex sipper
Review by n2rrad
Diesel, leather and tobacco… I love this one
Review by bossi
Blind tasting: my nose perceives caramel to burnt sugar, a slight sweetness and the typical Caroni aromas in the form of petroleum and burnt sugar. According to the nose, this is the younger generation of Caroni and probably not cask strength. The palate confirmed the last two speculations that it must be a diluted Caroni with slightly over 50% and medium age of ~15 years. The dilution was a tad too strong for my taste, the rum would definitely have benefited from less water. I'll go one step further and speculate on the 1998 vintage, as it reminds me of two Velier bottlings in particular. The finish is medium-long by Caroni standards, with pleasant barrel influences and a slight bitterness. A pretty good rum, but unfortunately below average by Caroni standards. It reminds me most of the Velier Caroni 1998 15yo with 52%. 83 points.
Review by Leo Krüper
Süffiger Einsteiger Caroni
Review by Jakob
Straightforward HTR aroma, nice Caroni profile. Good release, I like it - a Caroni insider tip.
Review by Johannes
Nice round Caroni, a little flat.
Review by Anonymous
Fruit and round. Lovely rum slightly lacking some of the more industrial Caroni notes.
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Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 8.3/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
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Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →I also feel a rum such as this would appeal to a whisky drinker. It isn't a sweet sickly rum and represents perhaps how a real rum can taste.
Details about Hebridean Liqueur Company Caroni Ancient Mariner Navy Rum HTR 1995
A Navy Rum from Trinidad, bottled by Hebridean Liqueur Company, at 54%.
Community purchases
45 bottles logged by 32 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
22% opened, 4 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Hebridean Liqueur Company Caroni Ancient Mariner Navy Rum HTR 1995?
Community paid 50–227 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
45 purchased · 31 tasted · 28 wishlist · as of
About the Caroni distillery
The Caroni distillery is located in Trinidad. Rums from Caroni have been reviewed 10,324 times with an average of 8.8/10.
To Caroni →You may also enjoy
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Perola Caroni Bellamy‘s Reserve 1998
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CoR Caroni Impressions (Selected by Steffen Mayer) 1998
CoR Caroni Impressions (Selected by Steffen Mayer) 1998Round, elegant Caroni with an Islay edge
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992Deep, dirty, tar-and-menthol Caroni benchmark
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1992Classic tar-and-fruit Caroni, reduced but rich
Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997
Whisky Krüger Caroni Bürgermeister Rum HTR 1997Fruity, less-dirty 1997 Caroni
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