Aroma visualization from community tastings
Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996
Tar, rubber and burnt sugar up front, then mango, plum, menthol and milk chocolate keep unfolding — reviewers kept finding new notes with each sip. This is the closing Velier Caroni: 23 years tropical-aged, 61.9%, yet the alcohol reads perfectly integrated. Members call it the dirty "mechanic's workshop" profile wrapped in fruit and honeyed sweetness. Divisive only if you truly can't stand the tar note.
The community says- Tar-rubber depth
- Fruit and sweetness
- Alcohol well integrated
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Buy Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996:
Compare all 6 shop offers from 1072.95 €
Prices & availability last updated on
The look inside the bottle
How does Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996 taste?
Aggregated from 228 community reviews.
Dirty, complex Caroni with fruit and sweetness Near-unanimous love as one of the best Caronis ever bottled — dirty tar and rubber balanced by fruit, spice and sweetness. The only real gripe: the price and the polarizing tar for some.
Caroni fans who love the dirty tar-and-rubber style
Anyone put off by tar, rubber and high ABV intensity
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
80 of 228 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 9.4 sits in the “Excellent” band. 99% 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?
1% rate it between 6 and 8. 18 selected write-ups from 228 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
One of the community's most-rated rums
Review by Jakob
Most helpful positive review
Epic Velier Caroni Tasting 2023: Almost endless bouquet. The classic Caroni notes engage in a great interplay with fruits, wood, and an exquisite sweetness, resulting in fantastic complexity. Not only compared to other bottlings of the remarkable 1996 vintage, an outstanding representative of the Caroni style. Absolute Caroni top.
Review by Norbert Kohler
Most helpful critical review
Absolut scheußlich schmeckt und riecht wie frisch asphaltierte Straße
Review by tojo
At the Last Caroni, the typical workshop smells tend to fade into the background. I smell delicious baked goods, spices and vanilla. But also dried fruit and prunes. In the mouth, rubber and tar come to the fore again. There are also roasted notes, olives and light grassy notes. A very long and beautiful finish. A great rum. One of the best Caronis!
Review by Oliver
Incredibly complex and yet easy sipping. A real Caroni highlight!
Review by Mirco
Wow, simply a masterpiece! Definitely one of my absolute favorites by Caroni. Everything that makes up this style comes into its own here perfectly, the dirty notes of tar and rubber complement the intense fruit notes, spicy wood nuances and the depth of the aromas wonderfully. Mega complex and the JG. 1996 simply shows everything that Caroni has to offer. This rum definitely lives up to all the hype.
Review by cigares
The Last was my first rum, a crush and the cause of my passion for rums. I reserved its review for my five hundredth review. Bu also with friends who generally rated it very highly, even blind. A complex, warm nose with machine shop (tar and rubber), caramel and fruit. A marked vegetal side, vanilla and pastry. Well-integrated cedar wood and a hint of lime. Wild, aromatic herbs on the palate. The alcohol is marked but domesticated. The aromas invade the palate, first towards the back, then towards the front. A remarkable evolution on the palate. As on the nose, the mechanical workshop supports and never dominates. Incredibly complex aromas. Warm spices and brown sugar. The finish is also hyper-complex, with a vegetal side dominating first, followed by fruit, pastry and cedar wood. A finish that summons all the aromas in turn. At the very end, incense is revealed. A rum that has just been opened, and that will gain even more with oxidation. Already an absolute! I feel like I'm in a tropical circus, in a city orchard, with strong smells, loud music, thrills and lots of different circus acts. Wow!
Review by DomM
Still absolute top notch out of 96 and out of the Velier Caronis overall. Leaning a bit more towards the dirty notes vs. 30th and 34th, yet still incredibly balanced, delivering everything you would expect (and more).
Review by Johannes
What a Caroni ! Round, yet complex, little dirty, just perfect! Benchmark Caroni! Again and again - the Last!
Review by SaibotZtar
My absolute benchmark what (for me) Caroni concerns. There just fits everything ... fruit, spice, wood and some dirty flavors (tar, leather wood polish) all harmoniously merged into a work of art of rum ... I could spend hours with it ... sip for sip a pleasure.
Review by Serge
Update: tasted again against the Velier 21 - the reference. It is a good round better (in the nose and on the palate) in terms of balance and the aromas in detail. Really great. Wow, a feeling of enlightenment, like with my first Caroni. Sensational nose, wonderful palate and everlasting finish. Perfect balance of dirt, wood, sweetness and fruit. I am very happy that I was able to try this wonderful rum and hope it wasn't the last time 👌
Review by Maxence
A true masterpiece. Alcohol integration is perfect. Typical 1996 profile with sweetness balancing Caroni notes and cofee, dark chocolate adding more complexity. Very expressive rum, incredible profile, what else ? As we say, "Last" but not least 💘
Review by Tschusikowsky
Entdecken und geniessen. Extrem vielseitig und was ganz Tolles. Endloser Abgang, wellenartig und mit Bums. Unglaublich kompletter und satter Rum. Tolle geschmackliche Tiefen wie Johanissbeere, Cassis, Grenadine und gleich Minze, Nelke, Kardamom, etwas grüner Apfel, Kernobst, Karamell, dezent Vanille. Und das Dreckige ist nicht zu dominant sondern ummantelt hier sehr passend. Zudem merkt man den Alkohol nahezu kaum, perfekt integriert🔝
Review by Beach-and-Rum 🏖️🌴
Small Caroni blind tasting with 4 great Caronis. The Last could also be tasted blind. It was a little rounder and more complex than the other 3 Caronis tasted. Nevertheless, it is not overwhelming. A rum for every day if it didn't have its price. :) Update: Tasted again at leisure. Almost a little subtle on the nose. But then the rum explodes in the mouth. The 23 years of maturation give it a good wood influence, but not at all unpleasant. Fruit and dirty components are also present. The finish is long and warm. It feels like you can still taste the rum hours later. A real highlight.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Absoluter Ausnahme caroni! An Perfektion, Komplexität und Vollmundigkeit fast nicht zu überbieten! Dreckig, dennoch weich, süß und mild... Bringt alles zusammen was ich mir von einem guten caroni erwarte. Zum damaligen Kurs aus heutiger Sicht ein Schnäppchen. Wahnsinnig lecker!
Review by Pavel Spacek
... Caroni is a distillery from Trinidad, producing at the time of its greatest glory rum, which was added at a ratio of 1:10 to the naval blend. It was too strong and strange to be pleasant on the tongue. In 2000, the distillery ceased production and closed. Only in 2010 did tasters appear who took a liking to the rum because of its special taste. And the interest grew. Caroni belongs to the category of "you need to try before you die" rums. I recommend it, Caroni is a truly unique rum.
Review by Christoph H.
In a word: COMPLETENot only as Caroni, but also as rum in general. Rarely you have something so round and complex in the nose, insane! Fruits of all kinds, furniture polish, rubber, vanilla herbs, milk chocolate and an incredible honey sweetness. The cask is present, but not even close to over the top for 23 years. The rum takes over the mouth incredibly quickly with a sensational and creamy honey sweetness and is no less complex here. "No bitterness" sends its regards.Not for nothing a legend and a highly deserved appreciated rum
Review by Jeremy Roger 🇫🇷
Nose: Caroni, just the way we like it. Deeper/riper notes, it's gourmand, it's really appealing! In the mouth: Oh boy! Intense and delicious! A well-mastered power, refreshed by a mentholated side - it's excellent. Rubber still present when you wake up. Really delicious ❤
Review by Timo Groeger
Wow, probably the best rum I've ever had. The Last is simply a dream Definitely a beautiful nose of rubber, wood and leather. On the palate, mainly burnt sugar, but also wood and leather. Delicious.
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Expert reviews
6 critics scored it, averaging 9.4/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by Barrel Aged Thoughts
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Expert review by Who Rhum The World
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Expert review by Zucker und Zeste
Great Caroni with all the flavors you would expect from a Caroni. The dirty flavors are very pleasantly present, but do not displace the fruity flavors. A nice sweetness accompanies the whole thing. Probably the best Caroni we've had in the glass.
Expert review by Rob Bauer
Nose While Long Pond 2007 TECC was a disturbing Bacon painting, this Caroni is a tropical Monet! Full of elegance, complexity, herbs and an astonishing richness. We can honestly say that we've never had such a herbal nose. A bunch of gentians, laurels, thyme, Maggi, roasted vanilla pods, oregano and fresh cut eucalyptus (we love this!). Under the surface there is a deep molasses note, noble woods and leather, a lot of milk chocolate, liquorice, noble mold and wet mud and leaves in the forest. Pure sophistication! All traversed by this vibrant menthol-y freshness. We are in love. With water: my gosh, the herbs and chocolate level just went to the next level! This could be the most elegant interpretation of Jägermeister on this planet. Palate The thickest herbal oil. Smooth and mellow like an alpaca coat.There is no sharpness or edge at all. Incredible when you consider the abv. We get all the herbs, the chocolate and the mud we had on the nose. It's a shame, but we must stick to the protocol (who defined this?). With water: Smoother, oilier, sweeter, almost like liquid eucalyptus pralines (it's toxic we know). Not as complex as the bouquet, but still fabulous. ғɪɴɪsʜ Endless like a Pink Floyd record with a very pleasant cocoa + cola (mind the difference) bitterness and a small piece of a new tyre. You still taste it the morning after. Crazy stuff.
Details about Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996
A Column Still Rum from Trinidad, bottled by Velier, at 61,9%.
Community purchases
702 bottles logged by 333 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
5% opened, 16 emptied and repurchased.
What does Velier Caroni 39th Release (The Last) Heavy Trinidad Rum 1996 cost?
Community paid 369–1,182 €.
Current best price: 1072.95 € – 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+ →
+5 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.
702 purchased · 240 tasted · 182 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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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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