Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Caroni 2nd Employees David „Sarge“ Charran 1996
What surprises people is how much sweetness rides alongside the tar. This 1996 Caroni pours out asphalt, burnt rubber and wood, then folds in raisins, chocolate and toffee with a menthol lift. Tasters call it heavy, almost creamy, with a sharp astringent edge from the Trinidad casks. At 66.5% it needs time and patience, but the balance is what people keep coming back to.
The community says- Tar and rubber depth
- Dark fruit sweetness
- Well balanced
View price history
Secure payment Sold by ROW Spirits Returns & cancellation
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
Buy Velier Caroni 2nd Employees David „Sarge“ Charran 1996:
Compare all 4 shop offers from 1599.00 €
Prices & availability last updated on
The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Caroni 2nd Employees David „Sarge“ Charran 1996 taste?
Aggregated from 38 community reviews.
Heavy, tarry Caroni with dark sweetness One of the most loved of the Employees series. Heavy tar, rubber and menthol wrapped around dark chocolate and dried-fruit sweetness. The astringency can overwhelm at first, but the balance wins people over.
Caroni fans who want heavy tar and dirty funk
Newcomers and anyone put off by tar, rubber or high proof
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
10 of 38 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Velier Caroni 2nd Employees David „Sarge“ Charran 1996 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.2 sits in the “Excellent” 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?
0% rate it between 6 and 8. 9 selected write-ups from 38 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Jakob
Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Formidabler 96er Caroni mit der typischen schweren Süsse, satten dreckigen Teernoten, Holz, Menthol und einer guten Spur Schokolade. Was mich am meisten fasziniert ist, wie klar hier bei aller Vergleichbarkeit die Unterschiede zwischen Trinidad und Guyana Stock zum Tragen kommen - die Trinidad-Fässer bringen einen pointierten adstringierenden Charakter ein, der im ersten Moment schnell überfordernd wirken kann, de facto aber eine gänzlich andere Facette der 96er Caronis aufscheinen lässt und ein Feuerwerk an Aromatik eröffnet. Beeindruckend - die Employees-Serie lässt hier die erste Geige aufspielen. Ein Hochgenuss, jedes Mal aufs Neue.
Review by Johannes
Wonderfully complex Caroni!
Review by Mirco
Crazy Employee. Typical Caroni, this rum has everything you are looking for. Tar, rubber, wood and menthol, not to mention fruit. The bottling is mega complex and you need time to taste it.
Review by Galli33
Very lovely Caroni 🤤 If you like your tongue being run over by a road roller full of dirty tar and a hint burnt rubber, you will love this monster.
Review by Harald
CaroniVelierCaroni EmployeesSpecial Edition 2nd ReleaseDavid "Sarge" CharranHeavy Rum - Full ProofDistilled: 1996Bottled: 2019Aged 23 Years66.5 end of 4 CasksOne of 953 BottlesFully matured in TrinidadColor:Bright mahogany, dark cherry jamSmell:Heavy fruity sweetness. Starts out really intense, then the smell gets a little weaker.Smells very fruity of raisins, fruit bread, overripe pineapple, orange, blackberries, mon cherie and rum-grape-nut chocolate. In addition, toffee and gingerbread.With water it becomes more chocolaty.Simply superb in smell!Taste:Wow - delicious! In the mouth creamy-sweet after fudge.On the swallow sweet, full-bodied and heavy, an explosion of spices, licorice and toffee.In addition, sandalwood.With water it becomes softer with more toffee and chocolate.Finish:Spicy with some menthol. Warms from deep inside.Very long and satisfying, while spicy-hot.Dry and woody in the aftertaste ... the 23 years in the wood show their effect.With water it becomes woodier and drier.Conclusion:The hammer! Incredibly complex and incredibly tasty. Better than the John "D" Eversley. One of the best rums I've tasted so far.Tastes good with and without water, although I find him a little better pure.93 points
Review by Romain de L
This one was… great ! Dark robe, almost viscous. Rich and powerful nose. Tar, asphalt, but underlying fruit and caramel (light). Very powerful attack and astringency - almost overwhelming, fills the mouth - but stops just right and reveals a deep complexity of tastes and aromas. Very long and pleasant finish.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Though heavy qnd intense this one was a bit lighter on the rubber and tar notes than the others. On the other hand it's very well balanced. Again light fruit and I love the caramel in the back. What a lovely tasting and I look forward to our next planned Caroni tasting.
Review by Oliver
Extrem hohe Qualität. Sehr angenehme Menthol-Assoziationen. Tolle Mischung aus klassischen Caroni-Noten und dunklen Schokoladen/Sherry-Tönen. Einer der besten Employee-Releases.
Review by Carlitooo
Rather fruity, extremely complex, very good
Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 9.1/10. 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
Read full review →
Expert review by Le Blog À Roger
Read full review →
Expert review by Who Rhum The World
Read full review →
Expert review by In Spiritus Veritas
Read full review →
Details about Velier Caroni 2nd Employees David „Sarge“ Charran 1996
A Pot & Column Still Rum from Trinidad, bottled by Velier, at 66,5%.
Community purchases
88 bottles logged by 70 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
4% opened, 2 emptied and repurchased.
What does Velier Caroni 2nd Employees David „Sarge“ Charran 1996 cost?
Community paid 384–1,880 €.
Current best price: 1599.00 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
88 purchased · 41 tasted · 34 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
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Vijay „Vijay“ Ranmarine 1996
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Vijay „Vijay“ Ranmarine 1996Roasted, tarry Caroni with a softer side
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Nita „Nitz“ Hogan 2000
Velier Caroni 3rd Employees Nita „Nitz“ Hogan 2000Dirty, powerful 2000 Caroni, long finish
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Dayanand „Yunkoo“ Balloon 1998
Velier Caroni 4th Employees Dayanand „Yunkoo“ Balloon 1998Heavy, dirty Caroni at full cask strength
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1982
Velier Caroni Heavy Trinidad Rum HTR 1982Dry, tarry Caroni with dried fruit and diesel
Velier Caroni 6th Employees Ricky “Dirty Harry” Seeharack HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 6th Employees Ricky “Dirty Harry” Seeharack HTR 1996Dense, tarry 1996 Caroni for the faithful
Velier Caroni 5th Employees Roopnarine „Roop“ Toolsie HTR 1996
Velier Caroni 5th Employees Roopnarine „Roop“ Toolsie HTR 1996Dirty, tarry 1996 Caroni at cask strength
Never miss a price drop.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
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.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence, without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →
