Aroma visualization from community tastings
Swell de Spirits Caroni Private Garden N°15 (InterCaves Limoges) HTR 1998
Caroni hunters who want the dirty markers but not a wall of tar will find this one unusually approachable. It's a 1998 HTR at cask strength with the classic mechanic's-workshop, rubber and tar notes, but lifted by real fruit — dried mango, citrus peel, gooseberry — plus caramel and menthol. Several tasters called it their entry-point Caroni and one of the more drinkable 98s.
The community says- Dirty tar markers
- Fruit and citrus lift
- Can read medicinal
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The look inside the bottle
How does Swell de Spirits Caroni Private Garden N°15 (InterCaves Limoges) HTR 1998 taste?
Aggregated from 28 community reviews.
Dirty but drinkable, fruit-forward 98 Caroni Loved as a fruit-forward, well-balanced Caroni that keeps the dirty markers without punishing you. A few found it too medicinal or a touch light for the vintage.
Caroni fans, and those wanting a gentler way into the tar/rubber style
Anyone wanting sweet, easy sipping or full Caroni heaviness
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
19 of 28 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Swell de Spirits Caroni Private Garden N°15 (InterCaves Limoges) HTR 1998 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.7 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 →
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Community voices
What does the community say?
7% rate it between 6 and 8. 15 selected write-ups from 28 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by TheJackDrop
Nose: the UFO. Obviously Caroni. Lemon/orange skin? A thread of light smoke, leather, almond paste? Mouth: fruit, smoke, prunes, banana, compote, leather& ++ , wood. Coconut finish, fruit, smoke, explosion of my poor brain. 9.4+ ? Maybe the best Caroni I've ever tasted?
Review by cigares
RumX and Swell de Spirit online tasting, March 2024. Tasted blind, I was surprised by a vegetal, bubble-gum side that reminded me of Savanna. But the depth of aroma and the dirty side belonged elsewhere. Dom found and everything fell into place (everything is much easier when you know ;-) a Caroni from December 1998. The palate is powerful, with aromas of mechanical workshops and burnt caramel. But a myriad of aromas lurk behind, with freshness, fruit, umami and even a floral edge. The extremely long finish is well-balanced, with all the aromas present on the palate and a hint of smoky wood.
Review by Joachim Guger
Frisch in der Nase - Lack und Menthol, viel Frucht - getrocknete Mango und Zitrusfrüchte, Karamell und Benzin. Gut ausbalanciert. Im Mund sehr ölig, dreckig und frisch. Rauchig. Würziger, langer Abgang, der schön wärmt. Ein gut trinkbarer Caroni auf hohem Niveau und der beste 98er, welcher nicht aus einer schwarzen Flasche eingeschenkt wurde.🤩🤩🤩Davon könnte man gerne eine Flasche genießen. Danke nach Bonn für das schöne Sample.🤩🤩🤩
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#4678 28.03.2024 Very nice online Masterclass with Swell de Spirits. Nose Light roasted wood, fruity, light smoke, peat, citrus, light herbs. Palate Balanced, wood, light smoke, faint peat, fruits, citrus, herbs, light medicinal. Finish Long, balanced, round, dried fruit, wood, light medicinal. The empty glass has rubber, smoke and dried fruit. This was the surprise rum and a really nice one actually.
Review by Arnaud Faverjon
Gros Caroni sur les hydrocarbures, avec une belle gourmandise et pas mal de fruit, belle concentration, super sélection!
Review by Timo Groeger
Wow, der nächste top Rum heute. Hat für mich in der Nase einen schönen Eichengeruch und riecht auch nach Karamell. Setzt sich dann im Gaumen fort, schöner Eichen- und Karamellgeschmack. Ein super Caroni.
Review by DomM
Nice special surprise! Well balanced with fruitiness and a bit of sweetness yet with a nice dirtiness towards the end, which I really enjoy. Very nice 98. Cheers to Mika and the RumX team for making the master class possible. Very nice line-up!
Review by zabo
Swell Masterclass RumX 28.03.2024 Was für ein Überraschungs Sample von Mika. Wollte diesen schon immer mal probieren. Dieser liegt eher auf der fruchtigen Seite, aber die "dreckigen" Marker sind trotzdem gut zu schmecken. Auch so kann ein HTR schmecken.
Review by Alex1981
Solid 1998 Caroni, more on the heavy/dirty side compared to other releases from this vintage. Still brings some gentle fruits and roastyness. Very solid release, untypical for the vintage and as sich eather exciting
Review by RumTaTa
Entwickelt sich sehr angenehm im Glas, die Fruchtigkeit scheint zuzunehmen und die dreckigen Noten bleiben eher im Hintergrund. Am Gaumen scharf, fruchtig, süß und Caroniwerkstatt. Die Schärfe verschwindet mit der Zeit. Zum Nachklang hin treten Eiche und Tannine in der Vordergrund und werden von den Werkstattnoten ergänzt. Aber auch die Trockenfrüchte und die Süße bleiben erhalten. Sehr guter, komplexer Rum!
Review by F.L.O.
Beautiful Caroni! Dirty, mint, rubber,..., and perfectly integrated alcohol. Extremely drinkable and perfect as a starter Caroni. If it weren't for the price, I'd gladly get myself a bottle as a daily sipper
Review by Jakob
A 1998 Caroni from the December batch with some hints of post-2000 TDLs. Surprising fruitiness paired with the powerful aroma of the Caronis from '98, qualitatively in the upper class of the vintage, including the tropically aged '98 Caronis. A very good release.
Review by lars
Blind war mein erster Gedanke TDL. In der Nase finde ich aber auf jeden Fall das was ich mir unter Caroni gemerkt habe. Geschmacklich ist Caroni garnicht mal so mein Favorit. Aber auf jeden Fall eine schöne Überraschung. Danke 🙏
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Sehr ungewöhnlicher, fast schon leicht anmutender 98er caroni. Könnte blind an der Nase zumindest fast schon als TDL durchgehen. Geschmacklich trifft hier Stachelbeere, auf einige Zitrusschalen, dazu Weihrauch und die typische dreckige Rauch/Gummi Note von Caroni aber eben dennoch auch sehr leicht und mild gehalten. Im Abgang kommt eine schöne Zartbitter Schokoladen Note mit Espresso Bohnen splittern dazu und einer leichten floral frischen Eukalyptus note. Dann kommt die Säure der Stachelbeere zurück und beendet das ganze. Angenehm und ungewöhnlich für 98er caroni aber könnte deutlich Komplexer für mich sein.
Review by Christoph
Dirty peat from which lemon peel is extracted. Surprisingly light for an HTR. Unfortunately, it fails for me as a Caroni. Something is missing at the first sip. With time, sand on fruit is added, but it remains an average Caroni.
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Le Blog À Roger
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Details about Swell de Spirits Caroni Private Garden N°15 (InterCaves Limoges) HTR 1998
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Swell de Spirits, at 59,2%.
Community purchases
18 bottles logged by 13 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
16% opened, 0 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Swell de Spirits Caroni Private Garden N°15 (InterCaves Limoges) HTR 1998?
Community paid 354–589 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
18 purchased · 32 tasted · 29 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.
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