The Caroni distillery in Trinidad was once a titan of island production, its rums famed for their swagger: full-bodied, oily, unapologetically bold. Since Caroni’s closure in 2003, the remaining casks have become liquid folklore – hoarded, hunted, whispered about in enthusiast circles.

Now, House of Rum – the award-winning independent bottler with a nose for the exceptional – has released something truly special: The Caroni Collection, a historic trilogy of consecutive vintages from the late 1990s, bottled at cask strength and untouched by filtration or dilution.

In a market increasingly chasing authenticity, this is the real deal – a raw, aromatic time capsule of a vanished distillery.

The collection comprises three rare HTR (Heavy Trinidad Rum) expressions – 1997, 1998 and 1999 – each one aged initially in Trinidad in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to American oak in the UK for at least 15 more years of quiet contemplation. The result is a release of extraordinary depth and complexity: the 1997 (60.5% ABV), limited to 179 bottles; the 1998 (62.2%) to 185 bottles; and the 1999 (62.7%) to just 210.

It’s the first known release of three consecutive Caroni vintages as a standalone collection – and in a category now projected to grow by 672% in value by 2028, it’s hard to imagine a more compelling addition to the top shelf.

The enduring legacy of Caroni means these rums have a true cult following

For House of Rum founder David Howarth, the find was a grail moment. “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.”

Founded in 1923 near Port of Spain, Caroni distilled both pot and column still rums from locally grown molasses, drawing on mineral-rich water from the Caroni River. It began as a state-run operation before being absorbed into the Tate & Lyle sugar empire, only to close its doors under mounting economic pressure. What remains are dwindling casks scattered across the globe – and a fanbase that borders on the obsessive.

House of Rum, for its part, has built its reputation on small-batch, ultra-premium releases from across the rum world – from Barbados to Jamaica, Mauritius to Panama – but Caroni, for many collectors and aficionados, sits at its zenith.

As Howarth says, these bottles “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.”

The Caroni Collection will launch first as a complete numbered set of three, priced at £4,500, before individual bottlings are made available. Each bottle comes with an individual batch number and will be available through select retailers, including Hard to Find Whisky.