February 2025 Auction

Caroni 19 Year Old Cadenhead's Warehouse Tasting

Established in 1923 on the site of the sugar factory for which it was named, Caroni was a key ingredient of British Navy rations, where it's famous high ester 'Heavy' rums help to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, the Islands distillers became more and more dependent upon imported molasses, making distilling less and less economical. The writing then, was already on the wall when in 2001 the Trinidadian government sold a 49% share in the holding company to Angostura. Caroni was shuttered in 2002 and a behemoth of flavour was lost to the world.

This is an 18 year old bottled at a special Wm. Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting event in 2017.

Caroni 18 Year Old Cadenhead's Warehouse Tasting

Established in 1923 on the site of the sugar factory for which it was named, Caroni was a key ingredient of British Navy rations, where it's famous high ester 'Heavy' rums help to make up the signature flavour. Sadly, with the decline of the Trinidadian sugar industry, the Islands distillers became more and more dependent upon imported molasses, making distilling less and less economical. The writing then, was already on the wall when in 2001 the Trinidadian government sold a 49% share in the holding company to Angostura. Caroni was shuttered in 2002 and a behemoth of flavour was lost to the world.

This Caroni was matured for 18 years, and bottled by Wm. Cadenhead for their Warehouse Tasting event in 2017.

Wm. Cadenhead may be Scotland’s oldest independent bottler Scotch, but its connections to the rum industry are just as lengthy. The company was founded in 1842 by George Duncan. His brother William Cadenhead joined the company in 1952, taking over after George’s death in 1958. William had a relation called Robert Cadenhead who owned a rum merchant business in Liverpool and London, and the two companies were amalgamated upon Robert's death. Wm. Cadenhead got into the whisky bottling business after 1904, when William's nephew Robert Duthie took over, and since its sale to J&A Mitchell in 1972, Wm. Cadenhead has become one of the most sought after names on the independent scene, and was one of the earliest brands to begin promoting single distillery bottlings of rum.

Caroni 1996 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Roopnarine 'Roop' Toolsie

The Caroni distillery is said to have been established in 1918, however there are several historical references that suggest distilling was happening there earlier in the 20th century.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.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

This is part of the fifth release of the Caroni Employees series, bottled in 2021. This one honours Roopnarine \"Roop\" Toolsie. 

Caroni 2000 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Nita 'Nitz' Hogan

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, the island’s remaining rum producers became increasingly dependent upon imported molasses, making distilling less economical. Tate & Lyle sold a 51% controlling stake to the Trinidadian government in 1970, before it became fully nationalised in 1975. Despite being self-sufficient in molasses, the newly established Caroni 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.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

This is part of the third release of the Caroni Employees series, bottled in 2020. This one honours Nita 'Nitz' Hogan who worked at the distillery for 30 years.

The blend was selected by a \"tasting gang\" at the Demerara Distillers warehouses in 2019. They chose eight casks from 2000, which had been matured in Trinidad until 2008. They were further aged in Guyana for 10 years before being put in a neutral tank in October 2019.

Long Pond STCE 2010 Habitation Velier 11 Year Old Single Cask #16 / LMDW 65th Anniversary

Velier was founded by Casimir Chaix in Genoa in 1947 as a wine and spirits importer and distributor. By the 1980s they were still a small family-company with less than ten staff. This all changed in 1986 when it was purchased by Luca Gargano, a former brand ambassador for Saint James who was at the time still in his twenties. Under his direction, they selected their first single cask whiskies in 1992, and their first rum in 1996. In the decades that followed, Velier have gone on to become one of the most collectible brands in the industry, and Gargano has positioned them as the one of the foremost authorities and bottlers of rum anywhere in the world.

More than just a bottler of rum, Luca Gargano is considered a visionary in the cane spirits industry, even developing his own classification for different styles of rum in 2015. Many distilleries have since adopted this. Among the classifications is \"pure single rum,\" which denotes a spirit produced on pot stills at a single distillery. This Habitation Velier range is a celebration of these rums \"which best expresses the raw material and the know-how of the distiller.\"

This rum was distilled in 2010 and aged for 11 years in single ex-Bourbon cask #16. It was selected and bottled for French spirit merchants La Maison du Whisky to celebrate their 65th anniversary.

Founded in 1753, Long Pond distillery is located in the Trelawny parish of Jamaica, which is also home to the Hampden Estate. Its modern history begins in the 1940s, when Seagram chief, Samuel Bronfman, bought the distillery from the Jamaican government and began to produce the Captain Morgan brand there. When Seagram was dissolved in the early 2000s, Diageo bought Captain Morgan and moved production to Clarendon. Long Pond became part of National Rum of Jamaica, a firm established in 1985 and currently part-owned by the Jamaican government, Demerara Distillers in Guyana, and Maison Ferrand in France. Long Pond produces rum using both John Dore pot stills and a Blair column still. Its output is highly regarded, and stock shortages caused by its closure between 2012-2017, and a fire in 2018 mean it is becoming increasingly sought after.

One of 331 bottles.

Port Mourant 1999 The Wild Parrot

The Wild Parrot is a collaboration between Stefano Cremeschi and Hidden Spirits. Hidden Spirits is part of a new generation of independent Italian bottlers. Founded by Andrea Ferrari, the company operates an online store for fine and rare collectible spirits, as well as bottling some very respected independent single malts and rum.

This Port Mourant rum was distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2021.

Uitvlugt, pronounced [eye-flut] was located on the west bank of the Demerara river near the Dutch-established town of the same name. The distillery was established at the end of the 18th century and remained Dutch-owned until the government in Guyana began to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974. Thereafter it became part of the portfolio of Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), who closed it down at the end of 1999. Uitvlugt originally operated double wooden pot stills, however these were replaced by a four column French Savalle still in the early 1920s. A double wooden pot still was reinstalled in the 1950s however, moved there from the closed Port Mourant distillery. That still produced this rum. It is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. The Port Mourant and the Versailles single wooden pot still are the last of their kind still in operation. The Port Mourant still is so-called as it started life at the distillery of the same name, established in 1732. Its configuration produces a typically heavy bodied and oily distillate, generally credited with being one of the key components in the old Royal Navy blend. Port Mourant rums remain high in demand to this day, and the still remains in operation at Diamond, the last remaining distillery in the country.

Caroni 1996 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Deodat 'Breeze' Manmohan

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.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

This is part of the fifth release of the Caroni Employees series, bottled in 2021. This one honours Deodat \"Breeze\" Manmohan.

Caroni 1998 Velier 21 Year Old Full Proof Heavy / Kevon 'Slippery' Moreno

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.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

This is part of the second release in the Caroni Employees series, and honours Kevon 'Slippery' Moreno, who worked there for 10 years.

One of 1400 bottles produced from a stock of 6 barrels selected between Luca Gargano 26 other Caroni lovers who scoured the warehouses in eight \"tasting gangs.\"

Rhum Rhum Liberation 2015 Version Integrale Single Cask /  LMDW 60th Anniversary

PMG is the brainchild of Italian master grappa-distiller, Vittorio Capovilla. An agricole rum, it is produced on a bespoke Bain-Marie pot still specially designed by Capovilla and built and installed at Bielle distillery in Guadeloupe by Andreas Muller. The rum is bottled and distributed by legendary Italian company, Velier, who's CEO, Luca Gargano, assisted in selecting Bielle as the ideal location for the home of the Rhum Rhum brand.

Aged in sweet wine casks, this single cask barrel proof rum was bottled to celebrate La Maison Du Whiskies 60th anniversary.

One of 288 bottles. 

Demerara Rum 2002 Gran Torino 16 Year Old

A 2002 vintage single cask Demerara rum from independent bottlers, Gran Torino. Aged 16 years in a Pedro Ximenez cask and bottled at full proof. One of 300 bottles exclusively distributed by BCB Wines.

This rum was distilled at Diamond by Demerara Distillers Ltd, the company formed by the government in Guyana in 1983 after it consolidated all of its nationalised rum distillers as a single entity, using a single distillery. Established around 1670, the Diamond Estate is the only remaining rum distiller in Guyana. Diamond blends its own El Dorado brand using various combinations of marques from its rum-producing stills, which include the pair of two-column English coffey stills, installed there in the 1950s and a rarely used high-ester John Dore pot still. These operate alongside the “Heritage Stills” acquired from Uitvlugt in 1999, which are Uitvlugt’s own historic four-column French Savalle stills, the Versailles and Port Mourant wooden pot stills, and the Enmore wooden coffey still, the oldest and last of its kind in the world. El Dorado was launched in 1992, but the distillery has continued its historic practice of providing barrels to independent bottlers, resulting is a wealth of impressive releases like this.

Demerara Rum 2002 Gran Torino 16 Year Old

A 2002 vintage single cask Demerara rum from independent bottlers, Gran Torino. Aged 16 years in a Pedro Ximenez cask and bottled at full proof. One of 300 bottles exclusively distributed by BCB Wines.

This rum was distilled at Diamond by Demerara Distillers Ltd, the company formed by the government in Guyana in 1983 after it consolidated all of its nationalised rum distillers as a single entity, using a single distillery. Established around 1670, the Diamond Estate is the only remaining rum distiller in Guyana. Diamond blends its own El Dorado brand using various combinations of marques from its rum-producing stills, which include the pair of two-column English coffey stills, installed there in the 1950s and a rarely used high-ester John Dore pot still. These operate alongside the “Heritage Stills” acquired from Uitvlugt in 1999, which are Uitvlugt’s own historic four-column French Savalle stills, the Versailles and Port Mourant wooden pot stills, and the Enmore wooden coffey still, the oldest and last of its kind in the world. El Dorado was launched in 1992, but the distillery has continued its historic practice of providing barrels to independent bottlers, resulting is a wealth of impressive releases like this.

Pyrat Rum Cask #1623

A bottle of rum made it Anguilla in the British West Indies by Angulla Rums Ltd. Imported by SMS, Ltd Las Vegas.

Rums up to 40 years of age were selected for this single cask bottling from the company behind Patron Tequila.

Hampden OWH 2012 Single Cask 8 Year Old #671 / Trelawny Endemic Birds

The Hampden Estate was founded in 1753 by a Scotsman called Archibald Sterling, in the Queen of Spain valley of Jamaica’s Trelawny parish. For 250 years it remained family owned, selling rum to third-party blenders and independent bottlers. Mismanagement however meant that by 2003 it was in financial trouble, with the Jamaican government stepping in to assume ownership and some of its debt in order to preserve the jobs of its employees. They sold it in 2009 to the Hussey family’s Everglades Farms, who as first point of business began laying down the casks that would eventually become the first Hampden Estate labelled official bottling of the distillery’s rum, launched in collaboration with Velier in 2018. Famed for its heavy, ester-driven style, Hampden is joined by Worthy Park as the only two Jamaican distilleries that produce exclusively pure single rums (using only pot stills). It currently has four pot stills: two from Forsyths in Scotland, one from Vendome in Kentucky, and another from T&T Engineering in South Africa.

This single cask release is part of the Trelawny Endemic Birds series from 2020. It is an OWH mark rum and was exclusive to The Whisky Roundabout of Milan.

One of 252 bottles.

Trinidad Distillers 1991 Sansibar 31 Year Old / The Auld Alliance

Trinidad Distillers is the production facility for the Angostura brand. It was built by the company in 1947 to produce rum for its world-famous bitters, in addition to distilling bulk product for export. The distillery’s original set up was a single Savalle column still, however this was replaced with a five-column still in 1975, following investment from Bacardi who required more bulk rum. Two more of these multi-column stills were added in 1985 and 1999. Some experimentation briefly took place with a Vendome pot still in the early 2000s as well, however this was quickly sold to St Lucia Distillers by their shared parent company at the time, CL Financial. The company was forced to divest much of its rum portfolio following the financial crash in 2007, but retains a majority stake in Angostura after it was bailed out by the local government to prevent what it felt was a national treasure being lost to foreign ownership. Trinidad Distillers remains one of the largest rum distilleries in the Caribbean, producing around 8.5 million litres per year.

This was distilled in 1991 and has been aged for a total of 31 years, mostly in Europe. One of 156 bottles produced by Sansibar in collaboration with the Auld Alliance of Singapore. 

Sansibar Whisky is a German independent bottler, specialising in Scotch, Japanese whisky and rum. Founded by connoisseur, Jens Drewitz, he tastes and hand-selects almost every cask he purchases, on site at the distilleries. An impressive eye for quality, Sansibar have also supported other small independents, acting as the exclusive German distributor for Glasgow's North Star, and Hidden Spirits in Italy.

Trinidad Distillers 1991 Sansibar 31 Year Old / The Auld Alliance

Trinidad Distillers is the production facility for the Angostura brand. It was built by the company in 1947 to produce rum for its world-famous bitters, in addition to distilling bulk product for export. The distillery’s original set up was a single Savalle column still, however this was replaced with a five-column still in 1975, following investment from Bacardi who required more bulk rum. Two more of these multi-column stills were added in 1985 and 1999. Some experimentation briefly took place with a Vendome pot still in the early 2000s as well, however this was quickly sold to St Lucia Distillers by their shared parent company at the time, CL Financial. The company was forced to divest much of its rum portfolio following the financial crash in 2007, but retains a majority stake in Angostura after it was bailed out by the local government to prevent what it felt was a national treasure being lost to foreign ownership. Trinidad Distillers remains one of the largest rum distilleries in the Caribbean, producing around 8.5 million litres per year.

This was distilled in 1991 and has been aged for a total of 31 years, mostly in Europe. One of 156 bottles produced by Sansibar in collaboration with the Auld Alliance of Singapore. 

Sansibar Whisky is a German independent bottler, specialising in Scotch, Japanese whisky and rum. Founded by connoisseur, Jens Drewitz, he tastes and hand-selects almost every cask he purchases, on site at the distilleries. An impressive eye for quality, Sansibar have also supported other small independents, acting as the exclusive German distributor for Glasgow's North Star, and Hidden Spirits in Italy.

Hampden Great House 2019

The Hampden Estate was founded in 1753 by a Scotsman called Archibald Sterling, in the Queen of Spain valley of Jamaica’s Trelawny parish. For 250 years it remained family owned, selling rum to third-party blenders and independent bottlers. Mismanagement however meant that by 2003 it was in financial trouble, with the Jamaican government stepping in to assume ownership and some of its debt in order to preserve the jobs of its employees. They sold it in 2009 to the Hussey family’s Everglades Farms, who as first point of business began laying down the casks that would eventually become the first Hampden Estate labelled official bottling of the distillery’s rum, launched in collaboration with Velier in 2018. Famed for its heavy, ester-driven style, Hampden is joined by Worthy Park as the only two Jamaican distilleries that produce exclusively pure single rums (using only pot stills). It currently has four pot stills: two from Forsyths in Scotland, one from Vendome in Kentucky, and another from T&T Engineering in South Africa.

Bearing the name of the family residence built in 1753, Great House wonderfully embodies Hampden’s exuberant and eminently Jamaican style. This was bottled by Velier for sale at the distillery and special events around the world.

This is the first edition, released in 2019. 

Caroni 2000 Velier 17 Year Old High Proof 75cl / US Import

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.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

A 2000 vintage, this was bottled in 2017 by Velier from a stock of 7 barrels which yielded 2700 bottles.

La Favorite 1995 Cuvee Speciale Gift Pack / La Confrerie du Rhum

La Favorite is a small family-run distillery, the last in the Port-de-France area. The plantation was initially known as La Jambette, and was renamed in 1851 by new owner, Charles Henry. The distillery hit financial hardship in the latter part of the 19th century and was eventually so badly damaged by a hurricane that it was shut down for twenty years. It was re-opened by Henri Dormoy in 1905, and his family still run it today. The distillery produces between 600,000 and 1m litres of spirit each year. Very much a boutique operation, its equipment is steam-powered, and the bottles are all labelled and wax sealed by hand.

This was distilled in July 1995 from pure cane juice and bottled later that year in October. 

Includes two La Favorite branded tasting glasses.

Hampden HJF 2002 Old Brothers 50cl / The Nectar 15th Anniversary

The Hampden Estate was founded in 1753 by a Scotsman called Archibald Sterling, in the Queen of Spain valley of Jamaica’s Trelawny parish. For 250 years it remained family owned, selling rum to third-party blenders and independent bottlers. Mismanagement however meant that by 2003 it was in financial trouble, with the Jamaican government stepping in to assume ownership and some of its debt in order to preserve the jobs of its employees. They sold it in 2009 to the Hussey family’s Everglades Farms, who as first point of business began laying down the casks that would eventually become the first Hampden Estate labelled official bottling of the distillery’s rum, launched in collaboration with Velier in 2018. Famed for its heavy, ester-driven style, Hampden is joined by Worthy Park as the only two Jamaican distilleries that produce exclusively pure single rums (using only pot stills). It currently has four pot stills: two from Forsyths in Scotland, one from Vendome in Kentucky, and another from T&T Engineering in South Africa.

Bottled by Old Brothers for the 15th anniversary of The Nectar, this single cask was aged 17 years in the tropics and a futher 1.5 in Europe.

Caroni 2000 Velier 12 Year Old 100 Proof

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.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

A \"100% Trinidad rum,\" this was distilled from the last Trinidad molasses in 2000, and bottled in 2012 from casks fully matured on the island.

La Favorite 2019 Se Nou Menm La Canne 2.0

La Favorite is a small family-run distillery, the last in the Port-de-France area. The plantation was initially known as La Jambette, and was renamed in 1851 by new owner, Charles Henry. The distillery hit financial hardship in the latter part of the 19th century and was eventually so badly damaged by a hurricane that it was shut down for twenty years. It was re-opened by Henri Dormoy in 1905, and his family still run it today. The distillery produces between 600,000 and 1m litres of spirit each year. Very much a boutique operation, its equipment is steam-powered, and the bottles are all labelled and wax sealed by hand.

It was distilled in 2019 and aged for 3 years. One of only 500 bottles.
 

Rhum J.M 2004 15 Year Old

The J.M Crassous de Medeuil distillery is the oldest still in operation in Martinique. It was built in 1845 by Jean-Marie Martin on the Fonds Préville estate, established by Antoine Leroux-Préville in 1790. Martin’s rum was shipped in barrels using his initials “J.M” on the cask ends. In 1914, his distillery was bought by neighbouring distillers, the Crassous de Medeuil family, who consolidated both operations at the Fonds Préville distillery, renaming it J.M Crassous de Medeuil. The “Rhum J.M” brand first appeared in the 1980s, and the first sales of its aged rum were in 1994. Its blossoming reputation then saw it bought by Groupe Bernard Hayot (GBH) in 2002, who’s portfolio also included the Clément brand. Rather than move production to Bernard’s brother’s Le Simon distillery, as they had done with Clément, GBH invested heavily in J.M Crassous de Medeuil. This included the installation of a second column still in 2015, modelled after those used in Armagnac, boosting production capacity to around 1.5 million litres per year.

This is a 2004 vintage rhum vieux,filled into bourbon barrels in November 2005 and bottled in March 2022.

Long Pond STCE 2005 Habitation Velier 16 Year Old Single Cask #26 / LMDW 65th Anniversary

Velier was founded by Casimir Chaix in Genoa in 1947 as a wine and spirits importer and distributor. By the 1980s they were still a small family-company with less than ten staff. This all changed in 1986 when it was purchased by Luca Gargano, a former brand ambassador for Saint James who was at the time still in his twenties. Under his direction, they selected their first single cask whiskies in 1992, and their first rum in 1996. In the decades that followed, Velier have gone on to become one of the most collectible brands in the industry, and Gargano has positioned them as the one of the foremost authorities and bottlers of rum anywhere in the world.

More than just a bottler of rum, Luca Gargano is considered a visionary in the cane spirits industry, even developing his own classification for different styles of rum in 2015. Many distilleries have since adopted this. Among the classifications is \"pure single rum,\" which denotes a spirit produced on pot stills at a single distillery. This Habitation Velier range is a celebration of these rums \"which best expresses the raw material and the know-how of the distiller.\"

This rum was distilled in 2005 and aged for 16 years in single ex-Bourbon cask #26. It was selected and bottled for French spirit merchants La Maison du Whisky to celebrate their 65th anniversary.

ounded in 1753, Long Pond distillery is located in the Trelawny parish of Jamaica, which is also home to the Hampden Estate. Its modern history begins in the 1940s, when Seagram chief, Samuel Bronfman, bought the distillery from the Jamaican government and began to produce the Captain Morgan brand there. When Seagram was dissolved in the early 2000s, Diageo bought Captain Morgan and moved production to Clarendon. Long Pond became part of National Rum of Jamaica, a firm established in 1985 and currently part-owned by the Jamaican government, Demerara Distillers in Guyana, and Maison Ferrand in France. Long Pond produces rum using both John Dore pot stills and a Blair column still. Its output is highly regarded, and stock shortages caused by its closure between 2012-2017, and a fire in 2018 mean it is becoming increasingly sought after.

One of 328 bottles.

Dictador Best of 1981 34 Year Old Batch #914132

The Destilería Colombiana was established in 1913 by Don Julio Arango y Parra and today it is still run by members of his family. The distillery’s flagship brand, Dictador, is named after Severo Arango y Ferro, nicknamed \"El Dictador,\" for the heavy hand with which oversaw trade between Spain and its colonies in the 18th century. Don Julio was one of his descendants. The distillery operates both copper pot stills as well as a stainless steel six-column continuous still, and uses a wash made from sugarcane “honey.” This is the product of the first stage in molasses production, which produces a syrup by boiling off the water from freshly pressed cane juice. This provides a lighter distillate than traditional molasses.

One of the big players of the Rum world and a well established luxury brand, Dictador is still shrouded in mystery. Perhaps owing to a misalignment of expectations these Best of bottlings are a the subject of a lot of spilt digital ink. Consensus seems to be that the vintage and any age statement refer to the Solera they are drawn from and that the liquid also includes some younger spirit from more recent vintages, rather than being a pure single vintage. Regardless of the exact make up of the liquid, Dictador is none the less an incredibly popular brand and this is one of their premium expressions, a great chance to see what Destileria Colombiana is all about.

One of 348 bottles withdrawn  from single cask #PC 8146131.

Clarendon 2014 Velier 10 Year Old Magnum Series #2 1.5 Litre / Alex Webb

Clarendon distillery is one of the Caribbean’s newer rum factories, built back in 1949. Back then, it was a small operation, running a single pot still produced by legendary Louisville, Kentucky coppersmiths, Vendome. Today it is joined by a second, larger pot still of Indian manufacture, a modern five-column still, both installed in 2009. Operating between January and October each year, the distillery produces around 12 million litres of alcohol each year. Clarendon is technically two distilling operations in one. National Rums of Jamaica has a 73% share, with the remaining 23% owned by their biggest customer, Diageo, who end up taking 90% of Clarendon’s total output for their Captain Morgan and Myers’s brands.

This was distilled in 2014 and bottled by Velier in collaboration with La Maison du Whisky in 2024. The bottle features a photograph taken by Alex Webb in Trinidad, 2005.

Velier was founded by Casimir Chaix in Genoa in 1947 as a wine and spirits importer and distributor. By the 1980s they were still a small family-company with less than ten staff. This all changed in 1986 when it was purchased by Luca Gargano, a former brand ambassador for Saint James who was at the time still in his twenties. Under his direction, they selected their first single cask whiskies in 1992, and their first rum in 1996. In the decades that followed, Velier have gone on to become one of the most collectible brands in the industry, and Gargano has positioned them as the one of the foremost authorities and bottlers of rum anywhere in the world.

Please note: a two-bottle shipping fee will be applied to this lot.

Caroni 2000 Velier Full Proof Heavy / Basdeo 'Dicky' Ramsarran

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.

As it transpired, Angostura still acquired the majority of the circa 18,000 warehoused Caroni barrels, but perhaps the most important share went to Italian distributors, Velier. In 2004, their inimitable CEO, Luca Gargano, travelled to Trinidad for a photo shoot and happened upon the boarded-up distillery, brokering a deal for some of its stock in 2005. He released eight Caroni bottlings that year, alongside his first cask strength collaborations with Demerara Distillers Ltd, which includes the hugely important Skeldon bottlings. This was a landmark year that not only changed the landscape of rum but was the genesis for the legendary status that Caroni rum now holds amongst collectors and connoisseurs alike.

This is part of the fourth release of the Caroni Employees series, bottled in 2020. This one honours Basdeo \"Dicky\" Ramsarran who worked at the distillery for 20 years.

The blend was selected by a \"tasting gang\" at the Demerara Distillers warehouses in 2019. They chose 6 casks from 2000, which had been matured in Trinidad until 2008. They were further aged in Guyana for 10 years before being put in a neutral tank in October 2019.

One of 1,251 bottles.

Foursquare 2005 Bourbon Cask 12 Year Old

The Foursquare rum distillery is owned by R.L. Seale & Co, a family company with a traceable history of rum making in Barbados dating back to 1820. The modern company dates to the 1920s, when Reginald Leon Seale set up a distribution business in the island’s capital, Bridgetown. The company’s success brought expansion, and through the latter half of the 20th century it acquired brands such as ESA Fields and Doorly’s for its portfolio. In 1995 they opened the Foursquare distillery, converting an abandoned sugar factory in the Saint Philip parish. Operating as double retort pot still and a three-column continuous still, its first spirit was produced in 1996. Foursquare produces Single Blended rum, combining its pot and column distillate both before and after being barrelled, and under the direction of Sir David Seale and his son, Richard, has become one of the most revered producers in the world.

Introduced in 2008, the Exceptional Cask Selection from Foursquare is an exemplar of the finest rum the distillery can produce. They have generally been aged to either side of a decade in cask, and bottled from bourbon casks, most of which are sourced from Jack Daniel’s, or from a variety of wood finishes. The latter is a speciality of Richard Seale, and releases have included lauded bottlings from a range of fortified wine and brandy barrels.

This is the sixth release, and the third vintage bottling and as always, this was pot and column distilled. The casks were filled in 2005 and matured in ex-bourbon casks until October 2017.

Foursquare 14 Year Old Empery

The Foursquare rum distillery is owned by R.L. Seale & Co, a family company with a traceable history of rum making in Barbados dating back to 1820. The modern company dates to the 1920s, when Reginald Leon Seale set up a distribution business in the island’s capital, Bridgetown. The company’s success brought expansion, and through the latter half of the 20th century it acquired brands such as ESA Fields and Doorly’s for its portfolio. In 1995 they opened the Foursquare distillery, converting an abandoned sugar factory in the Saint Philip parish. Operating as double retort pot still and a three-column continuous still, its first spirit was produced in 1996. Foursquare produces Single Blended rum, combining its pot and column distillate both before and after being barrelled, and under the direction of Sir David Seale and his son, Richard, has become one of the most revered producers in the world.

Introduced in 2008, the Exceptional Cask Selection from Foursquare is an exemplar of the finest rum the distillery can produce. They have generally been aged to either side of a decade in cask, and bottled from bourbon casks, most of which are sourced from Jack Daniel’s, or from a variety of wood finishes. The latter is a speciality of Richard Seale, and releases have included lauded bottlings from a range of fortified wine and brandy barrels.

This is the ninth release in the series, for the second time showcasing a rum matured in bourbon and sherry casks. It was matured for 14 years and bottled in December 2018.

Bielle 2004 Rhum Vieux

Bielle is one of three distilleries on the island of Marie Galante in the Guadeloupe archipelago. It was founded at the end of the 19th century as rum production began to take over following the decline in profitability of sugar. The distillery was acquired by Paul Rameaux in 1955, and today is still run by his nephew, Dominique Thiery. Bielle produces around 320,000 litres of agricole rum on its column still every year. It also houses a bespoke Muller pot still, designed by Italian grappa maker Vittorio Capovilla for his Rhum Rhum collaboration with Luca Gargano of Velier.

This was distilled in 2004 and bottled in 2014.

Hampden OWH 2012 Single Cask 8 Year Old #671 / Trelawny Endemic Birds

The Hampden Estate was founded in 1753 by a Scotsman called Archibald Sterling, in the Queen of Spain valley of Jamaica’s Trelawny parish. For 250 years it remained family owned, selling rum to third-party blenders and independent bottlers. Mismanagement however meant that by 2003 it was in financial trouble, with the Jamaican government stepping in to assume ownership and some of its debt in order to preserve the jobs of its employees. They sold it in 2009 to the Hussey family’s Everglades Farms, who as first point of business began laying down the casks that would eventually become the first Hampden Estate labelled official bottling of the distillery’s rum, launched in collaboration with Velier in 2018. Famed for its heavy, ester-driven style, Hampden is joined by Worthy Park as the only two Jamaican distilleries that produce exclusively pure single rums (using only pot stills). It currently has four pot stills: two from Forsyths in Scotland, one from Vendome in Kentucky, and another from T&T Engineering in South Africa.

This single cask release is part of the Trelawny Endemic Birds series from 2020. It is an OWH mark rum and was exclusive to The Whisky Roundabout of Milan.

One of 252 bottles.

Don Pancho 1996 Sansibar 21 Year Old

A single cask rum from the Las Cabras in Panama, bottled by Sansibar at 21 years of age. 

The Las Cabras distillery was originally established as a sugar mill back in 1919. Having settled in Panama 1993, the old warehouse was discovered by Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez in the mid-1990s, including an old copper column still built by Copper & Brass Works of Cincinnati in 1922. Don Pancho had a lifetime of experience in rum production as one of the leaders of the Cuban rum industry under Fidel Castro’s government, earning him the nickname, the Great Grandfather of Havana Club. Don Pancho left Cuba when Cubaron sold the distribution rights for Havana Club to Pernod-Ricard, and partnering with his friend, Carlos Esquivel, decided to rebuild the Las Cabras distillery. The 1922 Copper & Brass is now the final column in a five-column continuous still set.

Sansibar Whisky is a German independent bottler, specialising in Scotch, Japanese whisky and rum. Founded by connoisseur, Jens Drewitz, he tastes and hand-selects almost every cask he purchases, on site at the distilleries. An impressive eye for quality, Sansibar have also supported other small independents, acting as the exclusive German distributor for Glasgow's North Star, and Hidden Spirits in Italy.

One of 285 bottles.

Don Pancho 1996 Sansibar 21 Year Old

A single cask rum from the Las Cabras in Panama, bottled by Sansibar at 21 years of age. 

The Las Cabras distillery was originally established as a sugar mill back in 1919. Having settled in Panama 1993, the old warehouse was discovered by Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez in the mid-1990s, including an old copper column still built by Copper & Brass Works of Cincinnati in 1922. Don Pancho had a lifetime of experience in rum production as one of the leaders of the Cuban rum industry under Fidel Castro’s government, earning him the nickname, the Great Grandfather of Havana Club. Don Pancho left Cuba when Cubaron sold the distribution rights for Havana Club to Pernod-Ricard, and partnering with his friend, Carlos Esquivel, decided to rebuild the Las Cabras distillery. The 1922 Copper & Brass is now the final column in a five-column continuous still set.

Sansibar Whisky is a German independent bottler, specialising in Scotch, Japanese whisky and rum. Founded by connoisseur, Jens Drewitz, he tastes and hand-selects almost every cask he purchases, on site at the distilleries. An impressive eye for quality, Sansibar have also supported other small independents, acting as the exclusive German distributor for Glasgow's North Star, and Hidden Spirits in Italy.

One of 285 bottles.