Aroma visualization from community tastings
Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997
Most tasters land firmly in the loved column here, though a few call cask 216 the "weakest of the four" in the set. What you get is textbook Caroni: tar, rubber, leather and old wood wrapped around surprising sweetness — honey, tropical fruit, even chocolate. At 63.1% it drinks hot and spicy, but several say the alcohol is unusually well integrated for the strength.
The community says- Classic Caroni funk
- Surprising fruity sweetness
- High-proof heat
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The look inside the bottle
How does Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997 taste?
Aggregated from 56 community reviews.
Dirty, sweet tar-and-rubber Caroni sipper Divisive within the set — some call it the best of the four, others the dullest — but almost everyone loves the dirty tar-and-rubber Caroni profile. Hot and spicy at 63%.
Caroni fans who want the dirty tar-and-rubber profile neat
Anyone put off by rubber, tar or high-proof heat
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
26 of 56 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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. 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?
5% rate it between 6 and 8. 15 selected write-ups from 56 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
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 is very well balanced on the alcohol and you don't really need to add water. A nice semi dry and well balanced rum overall.
Review by cigares
The famous tasting of the S.B.S. single cask set. Cask # 216. The nose has a mechanical workshop and metallic edge, followed by fruit. A powerful yet elegant nose. The palate gives the same sensation, powerful aromas and elegance. The finish is long and very Caroni, the best of the four. The best of the 4 with cask #53.
Review by Timo Groeger
Finally, the last Caroni from the 4-piece S.B.S series for me. I also think it's great. On the nose and palate, the beautiful Caroni notes of rubber, tar and leather. Also nicely spicy and a little woody. Alcohol super integrated. Top.
Review by Felix Reiber
Fass #216 startet in der Nase mit einem intensiven, klassischen Caroni-Profil. Beim allerersten Riechen kommt eine tolle Rauchnote zum Vorschein, welche dann aber schnell verfliegt und sich bei Teer und Gummi einpendelt. Am Gaumen ist er überraschend süß und fruchtig. Teer, Gewürze, Gummi, Holz und Kräuter kommen dazu und werden gekonnt von Honig, Vanille und später auch Kakao begleitet. Die leicht röstige Note bleibt erhalten und die 63,1 % trinken sich entsprechend kantig und würzig. Der lange, intensive Abgang lebt von Gewürzen, Holz, Leder, Fass und erdigen Facetten. Wieder kommen Honig und tropische Früchte dazu und klingen mit Kräutern und röstigen Aromen aus. Am Ende des Tastings habe ich in der Nase etwas Kaugummi. Wahnsinn !
Review by TheRhumhoe
The comparison is between 4 Caronis Single Cask 1997 from SBS. The best of the 4 Single Cask presented in this match. The nose stands out with its lovely fruitiness that comes opulently over the empyreumatic notes. Varnish, tar, rubber, leather and smoky notes are wrapped in velvet, with a hint of sweetness on honey to give an intense, elegant whole. The palate makes the difference, offering a lovely basket of tropical fruits that accompany the sweetness, already present on the nose, with salted caramel, cocoa, vanilla and sweet pepper. Hydrocarbons, leather and smoky notes are also present. The result is a complete rum, more complex and refined in every way. The alcohol is very well integrated. The finish is beautiful, long and flavorful. Spices, roasted notes, hydrocarbons and hot caramel are all warm. But it's the hazelnut and tropical fruit that steal the show, with a little twist on the finish that pleases the palate. As mentioned above, this is the best of the 4 Caroni, brilliant in its aromas, finesse and versatility.
Review by Michael Ihmels 🇩🇪
Wow, now to round off the day with a delicious Caroni. This tastes very much of tar and rubber and a little leather. Very dry and intense, that's how I like it. Definitely a very cool end to the day today
Review by Harald
Farbe: Kastanie Geruch: Aromatisch, süß und fruchtig mit Toffee zu Beginn. Tropische Früchte (Mango), Rosinen, Toffee und Honig. Geschmack: Vollmundig und kräftig. Dabei sehr holzig (altes Holz) mit Gummi und Teer. Maronen, medizinisch und trocken. Würzig mit Ingwer und Pfeffer. Abgang: Lang Trocken, altes Holz, medizinisch. Im Nachgeschmack leicht bitter und adstringierend mit Hustensaft.
Review by Léo Delek
Très fruité. Étonné que ce soit un caroni. Côté fruité avec la peche
Review by Serge
Like all 4 in the set, delicious and relatively affordable by Caroni standards. Update: After a long time back in the glass and still delicious and worthwhile in the Caroni price-performance comparison. Dirty and sweet.
Review by zabo
The rum is part of a set: Cask 53, Cask 190, Cask 193 and Cask 216. The alcohol is not so well integrated here either. I find it a little more boring than the #190. For what the set costs or used to cost, it's an absolutely top PLV. Some newer bottlings can think about their price. I'll go back for more here!
Review by DomM
Best nose out of the set. Best balance with some creamy chocolate notes as an add-on to the rather similar profiles of the other casks. On the palate very dirt forwards and rather adstringent. For the set: 53=193 > 216 > 190
Review by Tim
This Caroni cask 216 could almost be an Agricole. As well as dried fruit, caramel, earthy notes, dry leather and spice, there's also some smoke, but rubber and tar are only briefly present at the start, although I'm not entirely sure. In the mouth, woody, salty, dry spicy and bitter spicy. Overall, varied, but almost mediocre. I liked the other casks better.
Review by tojo
Cask #216 der S.B.S Caroni 1997 Reihe mit typischen Caroni-Profi: Gummi, Teer und Holz. Im Geschmack und Abgang ist der Alkohol deutlich zu spüren.
Review by Daniel
Nase: Alkohol deutlich zu vernehmen, aber auch milde, gefällige Aromen aus Rosinen, Honig und Schokolade. Dezent Gummi. Gaumen: Präsenter, langanhaltender Auftakt des Alkohol. Dann Gummi, Teer, Kräuter sowie würzige Aromen. Abgang: Bitterkeit und Gummi, aber auch ein Hauch Cola. Fazit: Alkoholischer Vertreter aus Trinidad, der mittelstark in der Ausprägung der dreckigen Aromen ist. Vollmundig und in Teilen rund.
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.
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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 L'amateur éclairé
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Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Details about Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997
A Column Still Rum from Trinidad, bottled by 1423 World Class Spirits, at 63,1%.
Community purchases
65 bottles logged by 47 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
23% opened, 9 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Caroni S.B.S Trinidad HTR 1997?
Community paid 38–80 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
65 purchased · 56 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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