Aroma visualization from community tastings
Bristol Caroni Haromex 1998
Caroni hunters will recognize this one blind: tar, smoke and old workshop grease up front, then tropical fruit, cherry and a menthol-medicinal edge that runs the whole way. Bottled at full strength by Bristol from a 1998 distillation. Several fans call it a fine "einstieg" into the Caroni world, though a few felt the cask marks it a touch too much and the finish drops off early.
The community says- Classic tar and smoke
- Tropical fruit and cherry
- Finish falls short
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The look inside the bottle
How does Bristol Caroni Haromex 1998 taste?
Aggregated from 44 community reviews.
Dirty, tarry Caroni with tropical fruit A well-liked 1998 Caroni: dirty tar-and-fruit nose most people love, but several tasters find it less punchy and a bit short on the finish compared to other 98s.
Caroni fans who want the classic tar-and-fruit profile at full proof
Anyone new to rum or expecting a soft, sweet sipper
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
19 of 44 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Bristol Caroni Haromex 1998 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.4 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 →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
14% rate it between 6 and 8. 12 selected write-ups from 44 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by cigares
Most helpful positive review
Tasting a few Caronis from Bristol. A pastry nose with marzipan, tropical fruit and light machine shop notes (mostly tar and a little rubber). It is, for my taste, a little too marked by the cask to be completely balanced. The palate is relatively soft at first, then the aromas quickly gain strength. The finish is long, with a nice mechanical workshop but also, Cecelia spoils my pleasure a little, a little spiciness. This is the first rum in the series with little or no reduction, and it's good to be back in familiar territory.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Most helpful mixed review
... 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 Alex1981
Bristol Caroni comparison: finally a little power, the abv are right. Unfortunately not very well integrated, a little bitter and spicy at the end. Not as fruity as other 1998s. Otherwise a solid Catoni
Review by DomM
Decent Caroni notes but (out of the 1998s) lacks some of the excitement and punch the destillery is associated with.
Review by Thunderbird
A typical Caroni with not quite so pronounced aromas! The alcohol is very well integrated! Overall a Caroni of the gentler kind, which also allows larger sips, great
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
11.07.2020 Notes. Nose: wood, roasted, berries, tar, workshop. Palate: light, wood, tar, light rubber, citrus. Finish: medium long, lightly dry, light smoke, cherry, tar.
Review by Maxence
Pretty dirty at first with smoke and tar. Then it opens up with delicious fruity and round notes keeping company to the typical Caroni profile in the background. Very nice Caroni 😋
Review by Alexander Rasch
My RumRatings Review 3y ago: In the glass it immediately becomes clear that it is a Caroni. After pouring directly, I still noticed clear fruity notes of bears and dried fruits. The longer the rum is in the glass, these aromas are dominated by the heavy tar and leather notes. The rum is wonderfully dirty but also shows finer sides of tobacco, wood, bourbon and a medicinal carpet. A great nose. On the palate, the rum is very direct and dirty. But there is also a certain sweetness with a lot of wood influence. Leather is dominant. It's a bit medical again. The tannins become very clear. To the finish more bourbon and the heavy dirty Caroni flavors accompany the finish. A great caroni and a high quality rum. The '98 Caronis inspire me more and more. You have to like this style. Then you have a real premium rum with the Bristol 1998. And all this is quite affordable. I'm a big fan of Trinidad when it comes to rum. And especially the Caroni flavors are just great.
Review by Joachim Guger
Dirty, fruity Caroni with a nice caramel note. Slightly short finish. A good introduction to the world of Caroni.
Review by Serge
I liked both the nose and the finish wonderfully. But the palate was so strange that I wonder if something was wrong with the sample. Beautiful 1998 Caroni nose with dirty components complemented by noisette and fruit. Only the palate was extremely alcoholic on the tongue and almost ruined the best moment of drinking despite the relatively low ABV.
Review by Andi
Interesting, but not a rum I would drink every day. Maybe I'll acquire a taste for Caroni.
Review by Jonathan Massard
Rum tasted for the first time when opening the bottle after a long Line Up. Here, the tasting note will be a 3cl sample, at rest. Nose - On opening and in the glass, the typical carony notes of hydrocarbons and tar are clearly present. Occasionally, on returning to it, I find notes of soot, engine grease, smelling of my grandfather's workbench when I was younger. These notes then give way to a fruitier profile. Mango appears on the second nose, ranging from very ripe to very rotten. Some stone fruit, like in some TDLs, on morello cherry and sour cherry. I also find a pleasant scent of salted & caramelized burnt sugar. Then it's the turn of the rather characteristic medicinal touch of menthol and eucalyptus, which lingers throughout the tasting. All in all, a rather progressive nose that manages to combine the typical Caroni saltiness, fruitiness, caramelized sweetness and mentholated freshness. 91/100 Palate - The first sip is quite astringent, with a dirty wood character. The alcohol encompasses the palate well, with a lively, spicy attack, Reunion-style pepper candy (without the device, just the softened pepper, eh). In retro-olfaction, the same fruits from the nose return on a fruit paste aspect, then a light caramel and finally a very fresh mentholated hint (Hollywood chewing gum!) Accompanied by dark chocolate (mint chocolate ice cream 😋). If you like After Eights, you're in for a treat. Incidentally, the alcohol, which seemed very well integrated on the nose, is slightly less well integrated on the palate. 87/100 Finish - Medium to short (for a Caroni). I perceive a few fruity notes, and the barrel reveals a mixture of wood pulp and rum. Still mentholated, but much less lively than on the nose and palate. In fact, these markers don't stick to the palate long enough, and without any real intensity. Small disappointment. 82/100
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Details about Bristol Caroni Haromex 1998
A rum from Trinidad, bottled by Bristol Classic Rum, at 58,7%.
Community purchases
21 bottles logged by 19 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
14% opened, 1 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Bristol Caroni Haromex 1998?
Community paid 226–297 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
21 purchased · 44 tasted · 10 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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