Aroma visualization from community tastings
Cave Guildive Caroni Trinidad Rum HTR 1998
Sipped neat, this is a Caroni that gives you the tar, rubber and tobacco you came for, but wrapped in real fruit and sweetness. Several tasters call it an oily, elegant take on the 1998 vintage — pineapple, chocolate, leather and a smoky finish, with the 61% tucked in so well it "drinks dangerously easy." Not the dirtiest Caroni, which some purists dock it for.
The community says- Great fruit balance
- Well-integrated alcohol
- Not dirty enough
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The look inside the bottle
How does Cave Guildive Caroni Trinidad Rum HTR 1998 taste?
Aggregated from 57 community reviews.
Balanced, fruity Caroni with tamed dirt A well-balanced, easygoing 1998 Caroni that many rate a top pick of its vintage. The catch: it's rounder and less filthy than hardcore fans want, which keeps a few from full marks.
People easing into Caroni who still want the classic tar-and-rubber markers
Purists chasing the filthiest, most challenging Caroni
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
33 of 57 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Cave Guildive Caroni Trinidad Rum HTR 1998 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.7 sits in the “Very good” band. 98% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
9% rate it between 6 and 8. 20 selected write-ups from 57 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by cigares
A very successful bottling from Swiss Guildive. A classic 1998 with Caroni machine shop markers but counterbalanced by fruit aromas and cooked pineapple in particular. An alcoholic nose at first, but the pineapple and the dirty side are there immediately afterwards. A little smokiness on the palate, still with fruit and tire. A very long, velvety, elegant finish with chocolate. Still available from Guildive at a fair price for a Caroni of this class... a little below the 1996 Caroni all the same. Much better than the Caroni Adelphi in direct comparison, and on a par with the Cadenhead 61.6%.
Review by Émile Shevek
Al naso chiodi di garofano,cannella, zucchero, fiori Al palato sempre chiodi di garofano/cannella che lo rendono poco rotondo sovrastando tutto il resto, poi gomma/caucciù, una nota floreale a cui si aggiunge timidamente a qualche frutto, ma la speziatura sovrasta ogni cosa e purtroppo non mi piace, sembra un profumo. Nel bicchiere vuoto gomma e profumo
Review by Timo Groeger
Kneipe LiQ Bar Düsseldorf März 2025. Zum Abschluss dann den Caroni von Cave Guildive. Typisches Caroni Profil, wir haben hier Teer, Leder, Gummi und Tabak in der Nase und am Gaumen. Schöner Tagesabschluß. Danke Fabi :)
Review by Pavel Spacek
Sour weak Caroni ... 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 Hendrik Müller
Typischer continental Caroni, mit allen geschmacklichen Eigenschaften, die er haben sollte und für mich in seiner Kategorie ein Preis-Leistungs Hammer ! 20 Jahre, Single Cask Fass-Stärke für +- 350,- das ist echt Top !
Review by R Wehner
Nase vielseitig, Süße, Holz, (Schinken-) Rauch, lecker; Zunge ähnlich, sehr lecker, kaum alkoholscharf, alles drin, Schade, dass der so teuer ist ;)
Review by Balu
Geiles Zeug
Review by Tschusikowsky
Nach langer Zeit wieder mal ein Retasting. Gefällt mir nachwie vor sehr gut. Ist für mich eine der Top Abfüllungen des Jahrgangs (die ich hatte). Sehr starker Körper, die 61% kommen geschmacklich gut zur Geltung, sind aber top eingebunden. Geschmacklich 1A, alles da was Caroni bieten soll, wenngleich keine ausserordentlichen Ausschwänker. Gute Fasswahl.
Review by Gunnar Böhme "Bauerngaumen" 🤓
Geschmeidig-öliger, eleganter Vertreter seiner Art. In der Nase süß und mit kaum wahrnehmbarem Alkohol, hat dieser Rum seine schön rauchige Stärke im langen Abgang (verbranntes Gummi). Nicht zu fruchtig, nicht zu dreckig, perfekt ausbalanciert. Ein Caroni ohne Fehl und Tadel - und deshalb auch ein klitzekleines bisschen langweilig, weswegen ihm eine Champions-League-Bewertung verwehrt bleibt.
Review by Frank
Schöner klassischer Caroni, in netter Runde, für Details ist da leider keine Zeit… Nase: dreckig, ordentlich Tabak, nette, karamellige Süße, leichte Minze, ganz feine Essig-Note. Genau das, was ich von Ruben Caroni erwarte. 9,0 Gaumen: Tabak und verbranntes Gummi mit Teer , dazu eine schöne Feuchtigkeit. Klingt zwar wie jeder Caroni, aber das ist halt auch gut. Runde Sache. 8,8
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Mega guter caroni, nicht zu rauchig/Medizinisch, schöne Frucht. Schön ausgewogen! Von den mir bekannten 98ern definitiv einer der besten, die man einfach super entspannt trinken kann. Komplex aber nicht zu fordernd. Alkohol Integration perfekt.
Review by Thunderbird
Ein sehr solider Caroni, der neben den leichten dreckigen Aromen, viel Frucht und Süße aufweist. Dadurch ist er auch nicht allzu anstrengend und dürfte auch für Einsteiger der Caronis eine gute Wahl sein, er weist alle wichtigen Marker auf und preislich noch durchaus im Rahmen
Review by LukaŽiga
8,7:On the nose, the first impression we get is a tobacco, industrial notes like tar, rubber, roasted wood notes as caramel, crème brûlée, leather, some spice and fruits like mango, peaches, dried apricots and citrus. On aeration, a molasses is stronger with pencil shavings, new wave of fruits is out with raisins, mandarine and berries and smoky, charred wood with chocolate and cream toffee. 8,8:On the palate, the attack is delicious, creamy, a bit spicy with roasted wood notes, especially milk chocolate, pastry, fruits like citrus and dried with raisins, apricots, later currants and berries.Industrial notes like rubber and tar, this time also dirty, intermingle in balance with the rest.The molasses brings tobacco, the roasted wood also nuts, cream toffee and some smokiness. 8,5:The finish is long, less round, dry, tannic, a bit mineral, with new notes like red pepper, cigar smoke and rest already known palate tones...
Review by Adrian Wahl
Very palatable Caroni. The purists don't think it's crass enough.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Time is flying and this was a tasting we had on the first day of the year. A lovely caroni with the typical nose and palate. Pretty well balanced and the price is OK. Looking forward to trying all the other Guildive samples I have received.
Review by Mentalo
Schöne Nase, Alkohol gut eingebunden. Auch hier ne angenehme Süße und Fruchtigkeit. Im Abgang dann die Caroni Noten. Alles sehr harmonisch ausbalanciert, aber es könnte ruhig noch etwas dreckiger sein. Trotzdem tolle Abfüllung.
Review by Leo Krüper
Schöner Caroni, der die richtige Mitte aus Teer, Dreckigkeit und Süffigkeit findet. Leider inzwischen etwas teuer, aber so sind die Preise...
Review by Serge
Schöner 1998 Caroni mit komtinentaler Reifung – ein Bereich, in welchem aber der Bellamy‘s mein Liebling bleibt (dieser bringt eine coolete Fruchtkomponente).
Review by DomM
Intense and nicely balanced on the nose with a lot of sweetness, fruits, spices and a hint of dirt. On the palate also very nicely balanced with sweet notes (milk chocolate), wood and some fruits. Dirty notes are relatively tamed with tar and rubber towards the end. More on the elegant side of the 98 vintage. Drinks dangerously easy :)
Review by mto75
An der Nase Karamell, Gummi und fruchtige Noten. Am Gaumen Teer, Fahrradschlauch, verkohlte Noten, aber alles noch moderat, es wird von einer schokoladigen Note aufgefangen. Insgesamt sehr gefälliger Caroni!
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Details about Cave Guildive Caroni Trinidad Rum HTR 1998
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Cave Guildive, at 61%.
Community purchases
21 bottles logged by 18 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
33% opened, 4 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Cave Guildive Caroni Trinidad Rum HTR 1998?
Community paid 303–351 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
21 purchased · 57 tasted · 9 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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