Caroni 1998 Tortuga No.2 23 Year Old

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century. It became part of the Tate & Lyle firm in 1936, who used it as a base for expanding their eventually considerable sugar operations in Trinidad. Caroni was a key ingredient of the British Navy rations, where its famous high-ester 'Heavy' rums helped to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. Despite being self-sufficient in molasses, the newly established Caroni (1975) Ltd continued to lose money for the next 25 years until the government tried to minimise its ownership, selling off 49% of its share, just enough to retain control. Angostura were the preferred bidders, but a dispute over the value of Caroni’s warehoused stock scuppered the deal, and Caroni was closed for good in 2003.

This was distilled in 1998 and aged in a single cask for 23 years. It was bottled in 2021 by the East Asia Whisky Co and Precious Liquors (formerly Wealth Solutions) as the first of the Tortuga Editions, a series produced to support the Sea Turtle Conservancy. Each bottle has a QR code, where the owner can track a school of turtles supported by the original purchase via GPS.