Award winning independent bottler House of Rum has unveiled a unique new collection of rare Caroni rums believed to be the first single release of three treasured rums from consecutive years from the legendary and long-lost Trinidad distillery.
With IWSR forecasts identifying prestige rum as the fastest growing segment of spirits growth in the UK*, the Caroni Collection is made up of exceptional spirits crafted from molasses and distilled in column stills before the Distillery’s closure in 2003. They were initially tropically-aged in Trinidad in ex-bourbon casks before being shipped to the UK where they were refilled into American oak casks and matured for at least another 15 years before being bottled by House of Rum.
(*CAGR of 8.4% to 2028. 672% value increase for prestige rum to 2028)
The limited run of Caroni HTR 1997 totals 179 70cl bottles presented at a natural cask strength ABV of 60.5%, The Caroni HTR 1998 runs to 185 bottles with an ABV of 62.2% and The Caroni HTR 1999 totals 210 bottles with an ABV of 62.7%.
House of Rum is an independent bottler specialising in exclusive, ultra-premium single-vintage, single cask and cask strength rums. Its current portfolio includes special bottlings sourced across the Caribbean from Barbados and Jamaica to Trinidad & Tobago and Dominican Republic in addition to distilleries in El Salvador, Mauritius, Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela.
The Caroni distillery was established in 1923 and became a jewel in the crown of Trinidad and Tobago’s rum production. Located in the grounds of an old sugarcane factory and estate near Port of Spain, it was initially state-run eventually becoming part of the Tate & Lyle Sugar Company.
The location on the Caroni Plains with low-mineral water from the Caroni River and both pot and columns still varieties are believed to have contributed to the robust and distinctive flavour profile of Caroni rums often revered for their full-bodied, smoky, heavy and oily character frequently melded with sweet undertones.
“The enduring legacy of Caroni means these rums have a true cult following and we were so very excited to discover and purchase these rare casks. The three expressions are simply stunning – complex and well-balanced with a real tangy, oily, briny olive edge that Caroni is known for, but also with varying degrees across the trio of everything from fruit and gentle spice to pepper and cigar leaves. Rums of this quality, with these complex aromas, simply don’t appear very often and they represent exactly what we are about at House of Rum – giving people the opportunity to try the rare, the surprising and the very special – always in their unadulterated form,” said David Howarth, Founder of House of Rum.
The Caroni Collection is available at specialist retailers and online including Hard to Find Whisky https://www.htfw.com/
Every bottle comes with an individual batch number. Initially, the rums will be released as a complete numbered series of three priced at £4500, before the individual expressions are available.
House of Rum recently picked up multiple awards at The Rum & Cachaça Masters Competition 2025 with the Single Cask Dominican Republic 2000 officially named the Best Rum in the entire competition. Other accolades included a Master Medal – Dominican Republic 2000, (Ultra-Premium), a Master Medal – Trinidad 2013 (Dark Rum – Overproof) and Master Medal – Panama 2004 (Dark Rum Aged Over 13 Years).
A selection of hi-res images available here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/xizgfaxy2xoosep7pg3y0/AHIy0cR7Y93ZGvgGhBFtiRA?rlkey=ri5pvr9t6v88njqt0e5cxrncd&dl=0
Check us out on our website: https://www.house-of-rum.com/
