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Caroni
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Founded
1918
Region
Trinidad and Tobago
Status
Closed
Production type
Traditional Rum
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Caroni is a now-legendary former rum distillery that was established in the Trinidad region of the same name by Trinidad Shipping & Trading Co in 1918. It was connected to the Caroni sugar factory and began its life using a small cast-iron pot still. In 1937 it was acquired by the British sugar company, Tate & Lyle, and was later nationalised by the Trinidad government in 1975. This was followed by a period of decline in the Trinidad sugar industry however, and the distillery's parent company, Caroni (1975) Ltd, lost money for the next 25 years before eventually opting to close the operation down in 2003.
The distillery was self-sufficient in molasses through its adjoining sugar factory, and over the years its pot still was eventually supplemented and then replaced by more modern column stills. Its rum was a was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations while under Tate & Lyle ownership, and it also contributed to a number of local and export brands, including its eponymous Caroni label.
Rums from the Caroni region were advertised for sale in the very early 20th century, likely produced at Usine Caroni prior to the distillery being built. While rum from Caroni distillery was mostly consumed domestically, it was primarily bottled under different names. The first branded Caroni rums are believed to have appeared under Tate & Lyle ownership in the 1930s and were bottled by various British merchants over the years. The most famous of these are the Navy Rum Extra Strong bottlings by Tate & Lyle from the 1960s, which were available in both 75 and 90 proof variants.
Domestically there were several Caroni brands, however only two bore the distillery name. The most popular of these was Caroni Golden Glow which was produced from the mid-1960s until the mid-1980s, and the other was Caroni Puncheon Rum.
It was not until after its closure that a concerted effort was made to market a Caroni brand. A large supply of casks were acquired by the Italian distributor, Velier, in 2004 and it bottled its first releases the subsequent year. These were the first in a numbered series of releases that culminated with the 39th edition in 2019. A quartet of larger batch releases were also bottled in 12-, 15- 17- and 21-year-old age statements, and a a number of other limited edition series such as the Caroni Employees and Paradise bottlings have also followed.
Former brands
Traditional Rum