Aroma visualization from community tastings
Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997
Caroni fans and anyone curious about the closed Trinidad distillery will feel right at home here. Rubber, tar and old leather lead, with dried fruit, charred wood and a little cocoa underneath — dirty in the best way, but several tasters call this cask 53 one of the gentler, rounder Caronis of the set. At 64.4% the alcohol reads remarkably well integrated, and a few drops of water round it further.
The community says- Classic tar and rubber
- Integrated alcohol
- But: Hot near 64%
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The look inside the bottle
How does Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997 taste?
Aggregated from 56 community reviews.
Rounded, rubber-and-tar Caroni that's easy to like Strong agreement here — a very approachable Caroni that owners rate an easy entry into the style, with the classic rubber-and-tar character intact and the high proof handled cleanly.
Caroni lovers and dirty-rum enthusiasts
newcomers put off by rubber and tar
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
29 of 56 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
Fruitier
Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996
9.4/101200 €
Milder
Caroni S.B.S Trinidad 1998
8.5/10500 €First choice: 31 of 34 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.6 sits in the “Very good” band. 96% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
93% rate it 8 or higher. 19 selected write-ups from 56 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Felix Reiber
Wieder ein sehr schönes und vielschichtiges Caroni-Profil. In der Nase herrscht ein ausgeglichenes Zusammenspiel aus schönen Fruchtnoten, Leder, Gewürzen, Beeren, Karamell und etwas röstigem. Am Gaumen ist das Fass 53 sehr intensiv, holzig und geprägt von Gummi, Leder, Würze und Tanninen. Ganz dezent noch etwas Cola und wieder die röstigen Noten, gepaart mit Kakao und leichten Anklängen von Vanille. Der relativ lange Abgang ist angenehm würzig und aromatisch und bietet das Aromenspektrum welches in der Nase so überzeugt hat. Im Geruch ähnelt er dem Caroni 100th Anniversary, welchen ich auch sehr zu schätzen weiß und für 64,4 % ist der Alkohol wirklich gut eingebunden.
Review by LukaŽiga
9:On the nose, the first impression we get are smoky-industrial notes with charred wood.There are rubber and tar, spicy cherry wood with caramel, burnt sugar and leather.Then the fruit wave comes with dried and tropical fruits. On aeration, the molasses is herbal, there are some solvents and menthol, perhaps almond.Very round and balanced inspite the complexity. 9:On the palate, the attack is triple with industrial, woody and fruity notes, as our tasting buds are invaded with the complexity of this very tasty, round, smooth and balanced rum.There are dried and bourbon yellow fruits, dirty industrial notes like rubber, tar, perhaps bicycle tube.The wood is dry, spicy and charred, smoky, leathery with nuts, chocolate, coffee, vanilla and umami, it continues with sweeter notes like caramel, marzipan, maple, citrus and red fruits...complemented with some menthol. 9:The finish is also smooth and round, tasty, actually delicious, most of the palate notes linger on, with a whiff of waxy bitterness..
Review by TheRhumhoe
La comparaison se fait entre les 4 Caronis Single Cask 1997 de chez SBS. Un Caroni plutôt complet et plaisant, le nez dévoile un panel intense sur le côté sale, médicinal et fumé, avec du cuir, des noix et des épices (vanille, poivre) qui appuient derrière. Le caramel, le toffee, le sucre brûlé et les fruits (secs et tropicaux) apportent leur lot de douceur. L’ensemble est très alléchant aux narines. L’attaque en bouche est d’abord un peu rustre, tournée vers l’alcool et des notes lourdes. L’hydrocarbure et la fumée prennent le pas avant que le milieu de bouche se porte sur un boisé épicé qui est bordé par le chocolat au lait. On distingue également le caramel avec une pointe de sel, des fruits secs et des épices douces (vanille). L’ensemble devient plus gouleyant, le degré d’alcool étant élevé. La finale est davantage tournée vers les arômes épicés, poivrés, pimentés et réglissés. Les notes empyreumatiques restent en place, suivies par le boisé, les noix, le cuir, le caramel et le chocolat au lait. Ce n’est pas le plus complexe des Caronis, mais il est sans doute un des plus engageants parmi ce Millésime méconnu et souvent mis de côté.
Review by cigares
The famous tasting of the S.B.S. single cask set. Cask # 53. A slightly recessed nose, the most neutral of the series. Marzipan, fruit and machine shop. The palate is full and strong, with a sensation of warmth. The finish is splendid, with little fruit but a strong Caroni character. On first tasting I found it too extreme, but in the end I like it best, the strongest personality of the four. When you think that it's the same year, maybe even the same month of distillation, that the casks have been kept in the same place. The difference between the barrels is remarkable! Super interesting!
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
With all five participants in the tasting evening on my Caroni terrace 😉 the clear winner, which really nobody had expected. We had placed it at the end of the SWR 1997 tasting program almost out of embarrassment and even somewhat bashfully. Embarrassed, because this rum has not particularly distinguished itself so far, certainly not in the Caronis league, but also not in general, how could it compete with the SWR heavyweights tasted before? With its three brothers from the neighboring barrels, it is merely a rock-solid entry into the Caroni world at an unbeatable price at the time. We had actually only chosen this rum as a kind of comparison rum to the Royal Navy from Velier, which we had drunk directly before, in order to find out how strong the Caroni notes in the Navy are. And then the bombshell! This rum easily outshone all the other rums of the evening. This creaminess, this balance, this smoothness despite its strength, simply wonderful! Can an evening of tasting together be more amazing and exciting? This inconspicuous Caroni is an excellent example of the exceptional status of almost all rums from this defunct distillery. If you want to enjoy Caroni at a very high level, but still at a comparatively moderate price, I can only advise you to buy at least a 4-bottle box of 1423 (S.B.S). Tip: Due to the bottle size (20 cl), the individual bottles are also very suitable for enjoyment when traveling.
Review by Pavel Spacek
... Caroni je destilerie z Trinidadu, produkujici v dobe sve nejvetsi slavy rum, ktery se pridaval v pomeru 1:10 do namornickeho blendu. Byl totiz moc vyrazny a divny nez aby byl prijemny na jazyku. V roce 2000 destilerka skoncila s produkci a byla uzavrena. Az v roce 2010 se objevili degustatori, kteri si rum oblibili prave pro jeho specialni chut. A zajem rostl. Caroni patri do kategorie rumu "you need to try before you die". Doporucuji, Caroni je opravdu unikatni rum.
Review by Tim
Ehrlich gesagt finde ich bei diesem Rum nichts wirklich Gummiartiges. Stattdessen wieder sehr ähnlich zu einem Agricole. Die Nase ist gefälliger mit etwas Rauch oder Teer, wenn man will, aber nach einiger Zeit verfliegen diese Noten. Frucht, Vanille und Karamell finden sich vermehrt. Im Mund trocken, scharf und schokoladig bitter oder eventuell saure Beeren. Im langem Abgang kommt mehr Rauch/Tabak und Karamell dazu. Keine "einfache" Kost, aber komplex durch und durch.
Review by Fuwi
Dieses Fass #53 ist meiner Meinung nach ein recht milder Vertreter der Caroni Abfüllungen. Er kommt recht angenehm unaufgeregt daher, bietet trotzdem leichte Anklänge der erwarteten dreckigen Aromen, obwohl die nicht so massiv sind. Eher warme Vanille, tropische Früchte und eine gewisse Leichtigkeit. Gibt kanckigere Abfüllungen, eher ein sanfter Einstieg
Review by zabo
Der Rum ist Teil eines Sets: Fass 53, Fass 190, Fass 193 und Fass 216. Der #53 ist für mich bis dato der Schwächste aus der Serie . Für das was das Set kostet bzw. mal früher gekostet hat, ist es ein absolut Topp PLV. Da können sich manch neuere Abfüllungen mal über ihren Preis nachdenken.
Review by Vojta
My first caroni experience and I really like that famous rubber/tar flavours. The complexity of the flavours, the heaviness a the dirt. I like it a lot Out of these 4 casks the no. 53 is the best to me followed by the 193 and 216, 190 Hopefully I will come across another caroni samples.
Review by Harald
Farbe: Kastanie Geruch: Zurückhaltend. Etwas Toffee und Holz, Leder und Teer. Geschmack: Vollmundig und kräftig. Altes Holz, Gummi und Leder. Würzig mit Ingwer und Pfeffer. Abgang: Lang Trocken und sehr holzig. Etwas Gummi und Leder. Im Nachgeschmack leicht bitter und adstringierend.
Review by Timo Groeger
Last one for today. Ein klasse Caroni aus der SBS 4er Reihe. Klasse (Caroni)Nase, wir haben hier Gummi, Lösungsmittel und gebrannten Zucker. Am Gaumen auch top, Gummi, Fahhradschlauch, Holz, Leder und etwas Kakao. Für nen Caroni ist auch der Preis recht anständig. Echt stark.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
This rum is part of a four cask selection set. Cask 53, cask 190, cask 193 and cask 216. This particular cask has the highest proof and it shines through in the nose and palate. A light dry well balanced rum that I think benefits from a few drops of water.
Review by Nils123
Der Alkohol ist meisterhaft eingebunden, das Fläschchen ist allerdings auch schon längere Zeit offen. Wow, was für eine Qualität! Sehr dreckig, aber keine der einzelnen Aromen wirkt überladen. Mit der Zeit wandelt er sich immer wieder.
Review by F.L.O.
Guter Caroni aus dem 4er Pack von SBS. Faires PLV und guter Einstieg in die dreckige Caroni Welt. Schön trocken, beim Wein würde man fast schon @staubig@ sagen. Alkohol ist super eingebunden. Der Abgang ist dann nochmal Gummi pur :-)
Review by Leo Krüper
Grundsolider Heavy Caroni. Tolle Trinkware für Caroni-Verhältnisse. Super PLV
Review by Serge
Lecker und super PLV (für einen Caroni) wie alle 4 in diesem Set.
Review by Michael
Dreckiger Caroni, wenig fruchtig, mit sehr langem Abgang.
Review by DomM
For the set: 53=193 > 216 > 190
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by L'amateur éclairé
Read full review →
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
I had these recently been poured blind, a rather warm and sweet iteration. But i kinda like it. Seriously, just try those, because the Casks really have some differences to justify a set of four. cheap
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
Avg. community purchase price 64 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997
A Column Still Rum from Trinidad, bottled by 1423 World Class Spirits, at 64,4%.
Community purchases
63 bottles logged by 47 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
25% opened, 8 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997?
Community paid 49–80 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
63 purchased · 56 tasted · 9 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
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