November 2024 Auction

Depaz 1976 Chantal Comte

Chantal Comte is a French vineyard owner who lives in the West Indies. Under the encouragement of Andre Depaz, owner of the Montagne Pelee plantation in Martinique, she set out to become the rum equivalent of the established Master Blender profession in whisky.

This rum is a rhum extra vieux agricole, distilled in 1976 at Depaz.

The Depaz estate was established back in 1651, but its modern history begins in 1917 when Victor Depaz returned to the area to rebuild it following the eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, which had devastated the area. The first to do so, Victor was ridiculed at the time, but his faith was rewarded when it transpired that the difficult but sought-after Blue Cane was particularly well-suited to the fertile volcanic soil that had been left behind. This highly flavoursome sugarcane turned Depaz into one of the most revered rum producers on the island. When Victor died, his son Andre took over, partnering with long-term customers, Bardinet, producers of the Negrita and Old Nick brands. Bardinet was bought by La Martinquaise in 1993. Depaz is produced on the distillery’s two stainless steel column stills, however the copper column still from Dillon is also in operation there as of 2005.

Havana Club 7 Year Old Limited Edition / China

Havana Club is the biggest-selling Cuban rum brand in the world. Established by Spanish immigrant, Don Jose Arechabala, in 1878 after he bought a small distillery in the city of Cárdenas. The brand itself was introduced in 1934, its name deliberately anglicised to appeal to the newly re-opened post-Prohibition market in the US. Business was good, however in the aftermath of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro nationalised much of the country’s industry, seizing control of its rum companies in the process. Barred from exporting their version of Bacardi into most markets, the Cuban government chose instead to focus on Havana Club, which had previously had less of a global presence. The Cuban government’s rum production was reorganised under the state-controlled Cubaron SA in 1993, which promptly sold a 50% share of Havana Club to Pernod-Ricard. The deal involves Cubaron producing the product, and the French drinks giants promoting and distributing it, a move necessitated by Cuba’s struggle to break the brand into markets outside the former Soviet bloc in the latter 20th century. The success of the venture saw the partnership build a new distillery at San Jose de las Lajas in 2007. Ronera San Jose is the ageing and blending facility, and operates a two-column still to produce the low-proof aguardiente constituent of the Havana Club blends. These are vatted with the high-proof “destilado de caña” distilled at Cubaron’s Ronera Santa Cruz, which it opened in the 1970s. The Santa Cruz plant can also produce aguardiente, and all Havana Club production took place there prior to 2007. Cubaron still operate the original Cárdenas distillery too, but no Havana Club is made there now.

This limited edition was created for the Chinese market.

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.

Diamond and Port Mourant <W>PM 1999 Velier 15 Year Old Blended in the Barrel

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.

Velier's earliest Demerara releases were bottled in 1996, laying the groundwork for what would later become affectionately known as the \"Age of Velier's Demerara.\" This began in earnest in 2004, after Gargano was invited to the Demerara Distillers Ltd warehouses in Guyana to select tropically aged barrels to be bottled by Velier for the first time. The \"age\" only lasted until 2014, but has an enduring legacy of having indelibly raised the profile of the historic rum stills and marque's of Guyana, which have become some of the most sought after in the world, these Velier releases in particular.

This is one of a number of experimental Blended in the Barrel releases that were part of the final 2014 outturn. The reception to them encouraged DDL to distil and bottle these again, this time under their own El Dorado label in 2019.

Distilled 1999 and bottled July 2014, it contains rum from the Diamond two-column metal coffey stills, and the Port Mourant double wooden pot still in its final year at Uitvlugt.

One of 1,148 bottles. 

Havana Club 7 Year Old / Gloria Kabe Red

Havana Club is the biggest-selling Cuban rum brand in the world. Established by Spanish immigrant, Don Jose Arechabala, in 1878 after he bought a small distillery in the city of Cárdenas. The brand itself was introduced in 1934, its name deliberately anglicised to appeal to the newly re-opened post-Prohibition market in the US. Business was good, however in the aftermath of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro nationalised much of the country’s industry, seizing control of its rum companies in the process. Barred from exporting their version of Bacardi into most markets, the Cuban government chose instead to focus on Havana Club, which had previously had less of a global presence. The Cuban government’s rum production was reorganised under the state-controlled Cubaron SA in 1993, which promptly sold a 50% share of Havana Club to Pernod-Ricard. The deal involves Cubaron producing the product, and the French drinks giants promoting and distributing it, a move necessitated by Cuba’s struggle to break the brand into markets outside the former Soviet bloc in the latter 20th century. The success of the venture saw the partnership build a new distillery at San Jose de las Lajas in 2007. Ronera San Jose is the ageing and blending facility, and operates a two-column still to produce the low-proof aguardiente constituent of the Havana Club blends. These are vatted with the high-proof “destilado de caña” distilled at Cubaron’s Ronera Santa Cruz, which it opened in the 1970s. The Santa Cruz plant can also produce aguardiente, and all Havana Club production took place there prior to 2007. Cubaron still operate the original Cárdenas distillery too, but no Havana Club is made there now.

This is the classic 7 year old anejo rum. This limited edition is a collaboration with Nomadic chef Gloria Kabe to celebrates the opening of her first popup restaurant.

Havana Club Tributo 2016 / Signed by Asbel Morales

Havana Club is the biggest-selling Cuban rum brand in the world. Established by Spanish immigrant, Don Jose Arechabala, in 1878 after he bought a small distillery in the city of Cárdenas. The brand itself was introduced in 1934, its name deliberately anglicised to appeal to the newly re-opened post-Prohibition market in the US. Business was good, however in the aftermath of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro nationalised much of the country’s industry, seizing control of its rum companies in the process. Barred from exporting their version of Bacardi into most markets, the Cuban government chose instead to focus on Havana Club, which had previously had less of a global presence. The Cuban government’s rum production was reorganised under the state-controlled Cubaron SA in 1993, which promptly sold a 50% share of Havana Club to Pernod-Ricard. The deal involves Cubaron producing the product, and the French drinks giants promoting and distributing it, a move necessitated by Cuba’s struggle to break the brand into markets outside the former Soviet bloc in the latter 20th century. The success of the venture saw the partnership build a new distillery at San Jose de las Lajas in 2007. Ronera San Jose is the ageing and blending facility, and operates a two-column still to produce the low-proof aguardiente constituent of the Havana Club blends. These are vatted with the high-proof “destilado de caña” distilled at Cubaron’s Ronera Santa Cruz, which it opened in the 1970s. The Santa Cruz plant can also produce aguardiente, and all Havana Club production took place there prior to 2007. Cubaron still operate the original Cárdenas distillery too, but no Havana Club is made there now.

The Tributo is an annual Havana Club release that showcases the best that their distilleries have to offer. These are produced from \"bases\" in their cellar reserves, a unique system in which separate batches can be blended and naturally matured to produce a variety of different flavours.

The 2016 is produced from the Centenario base, which has been matured in 80 year old casks.

This particular bottle has been signed by Havana Club rum master, Asbel Morales.

One of 2,500 bottles.

Dictador 1972 2 Masters 45 Year Old / Glenfarclas

One of the big players of the Rum world and a well established luxury brand, Dictador is still shrouded in mystery. 

According to the label this rum was aged for 44 years in columbia cask ref: 127-EXW. Once it reached Scotland it was matured for a further 14 months in a fourth fill sherry hogshead

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.

Dictador rum is named after Severo Arango y Ferro, nicknamed \"El Dictador,\" who oversaw trade between Spain and its colonies in the 18th century. The company was founded by one of his descendants.

Hampden 35 Year Old Corman Collins / Auld Alliance

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 bottling was vatted from 1982 and 83 casks into a single cask and matured continentally until bottling by Corman Collins and The Auld Alliance 2019.

Black Tot Last Consignment

On July 31st 1970 a 300 year old Royal Naval tradition ended at precisely 6 bells in the forenoon watch when the last rum ration was issued aboard ships of the British Royal Navy. A day to be forever remembered as Black Tot Day. Original Royal Navy records confirm that the rum used for the rum ration was lost likely imported from the West Indies in oak casks by E.D. & F, Nab & Co, official rum merchants to the Navy since 1784. It was transferred into large oak marrying vats in the historic victualling warehouses of Deptford in east London, Gosport or Devonport from where it was dispatched to British Royal Naval ships.

Bottled by Speciality Drinks, this bottle of Black Tot contains the Last Consignment of the original Royal Naval Rum and was bottled from the original Imperial Gallon Stone Flagons into which it had been filled and sealed under HM Customs and Excise supervision in December 1970.

Speciality Drinks was established in 1999 as the independent bottling arm of The Whisky Exchange, which launched its online retail site the same year. Their first bottlings were under the Single Malts of Scotland label in 2005, followed by the Elements of Islay range and Port Askaig single malt brand in 2006 and 2009, respectively. The company was renamed Elixir Distillers in 2017.

This bottle was originally released in an elegant wooden case alongside a Tot cup, a rum ration card and a book about the history of Black Tot written by rum expert, Dave Broom.

Savanna HERR 2009 Single Cognac Cask 8 Year Old  #215 / Blanc Paris

The Savanna distillery is the oldest on the Île de la Réunion, established in 1870 by Olive Lemarchand and at the time known as Parc à Jacques. The Domain of Savanna was formed six years later, with records showing the distillery producing rum principally from a molasses wash. This facility operated until the 1940s when Émile Hugot consolidated a number of sugar factories, including Savanna, to form the Bourbon Sugar Company. The original Savanna distillery in Saint Paul continued to operate until 1992 when it was relocated to its current location in Bois-Rouge. Despite expanding the distillery in 1995 and again 1999, The Bourbon Sugar Company divested from rum in 2001, and the distillery passed through various hands to its current ownership, Tereos in France. The distillery’s creole column still dates from 1964, and under the guidance of master distiller and rum-savant, Laurent Broc, produces a wide range of traditional and agricole rums, including the much-lauded Grand Arôme. Some distilling also take place on a tiny alembic pot still.

HERR stands for \"High Ester Rum Reunion\" and is pot distilled from molasses. Put into single Cognac cask #215 in January 2015 and bottled in 2023. 

Bielle 2007 Velier 10 Year Old Single Cask #218 / Warren Khong 70th Anniversary

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 collaboration with Luca Gargano of Velier.

This rum was aged 10 years in ex-bourbon cask #218, and along with its sister cask #217 was one of two bottled for the 70th anniversary of Velier in 2017.

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.

Appleton Estate 1984 Velier 37 Year Old / Hearts Collection

The Appleton Estate is the oldest sugar plantation and distillery in Jamaica. Its sugar fields cover 11,000 acres of the Nassau Valley, located in the Saint Elizabeth parish, and it has been in operation since 1749. The distillery was bought by J. Wray & Nephew in 1916, which as of 2012 became a subsidiary of global drinks giant, Gruppo Campari. It operates five double-retort pot stills alongside a column still, and generally produces single blended rums by vatting the two distillates. In 1997, Appleton Estate became the first distillery in the entire spirits industry to employ a female master blender, Joy Spence.

A fantastically well aged Jamaica Rum produced by Appleton Estate and bottled in collaboration with Italian distributors, Velier.

A 100% pot still rum, this was distilled in 1984 and bottled 37 tropical years later from casks #3391 through #3399.

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.

Caroni 1997 Silver Seal 25 Year Old Manta Ray Genesis / East Asia Whisky Co

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. 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.

This single cask was distilled in 1997 and bottled 25 years later in collaboration with the East Asia Whisky Co. Proceeds from the original sale were donated to Manta Trust.

Silver Seal was founded by Ernesto Mainardi in 2000. This was Mainardi's second bottling company after the esteemed Sestane in 1979. Both companies were sold to Massimo Righi, proprietor of Whisky Antique, in 2010. Since then the company has produced a steady stream of high quality rum to add to its sought after back-catalogue.

Triple Entente Caribbean Rum 3 x 70cl

This set contains three white rums from different Caribbean distilleries:

• Hampden Pure Single Rum 62% 70cl
• Neisson Rhum Blanc Agricole 52.5% 70cl
• Foursquare Pure Sungle Rum 62% 70cl

One of 600 sets.

Please note: This lot will incur a three bottle shipping fee

Caroni & Clarendon 1997 Rum Sponge 25 Year Old Special Edition No.1

A special edition from the Decadent Drinks' Rum Sponge series. The bottling is made-up of a 50/50 marriage of 1997 vintage spirit from Clarendon and Caroni. Each of the rums used has been aged for over 20 years in the tropics before being bottled at a generous ABV in 2023. 

One of 95 bottles.

Appleton Estate 1984 Velier 37 Year Old / Hearts Collection

The Appleton Estate is the oldest sugar plantation and distillery in Jamaica. Its sugar fields cover 11,000 acres of the Nassau Valley, located in the Saint Elizabeth parish, and it has been in operation since 1749. The distillery was bought by J. Wray & Nephew in 1916, which as of 2012 became a subsidiary of global drinks giant, Gruppo Campari. It operates five double-retort pot stills alongside a column still, and generally produces single blended rums by vatting the two distillates. In 1997, Appleton Estate became the first distillery in the entire spirits industry to employ a female master blender, Joy Spence.

A fantastically well aged Jamaica Rum produced by Appleton Estate and bottled in collaboration with Italian distributors, Velier.

A 100% pot still rum, this was distilled in 1984 and bottled 37 tropical years later from casks #3391 through #3399.

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.

Jamaica Rum 1977 Berry Brothers and Rudd 37 Year Old Exceptional Cask

A single cask, pure single rum. Distilled in 1977 and bottled at a well-aged 37 years from exceptional cask #23.

Berry Brothers and Rudd is a firm steeped in history. They were established in the late 17th century, and received a Royal Warrant from King Edward VII in 1903. The company has been bottling single malt whisky from almost as early as that, with an increasingly impressive rum output these days as well.

One of 220 bottles.

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva 3 x 70cl / 35cl / 5cl

Destilerías Unidas S.A. (better known as DUSA) was built in 1959 to replace a small local distillery that had been producing on the site at the foot of the Andes mountains for around 15 years. Initially the company was called Licorerías Unidas S.A. (or LUSA), and Canadian distilling giant, Seagram, was the majority shareholder opposite a group of local distillers. Seagram took full control in 1992 but were eventually wound up in 2001, their empire carved up mostly between Pernod-Ricard and Diageo. The companies sold their interests the following year to José R. Ballesteros Melendez, who renamed the company DUSA in the process. The distillery uses both molasses and sugarcane “honey” to produce light and heavy rums, respectively, and has an array of different stills: a five-column continuous still, two double-retort pot stills, a batch kettle and two more computer controlled stainless steel columns.

Launched in 1989, Diplomatico is one of its flagship brands, a very highly respected rum that due to licensing arrangements this goes by the name Botucal in some regions. 

Note: This lot will include a two bottle shipping fee.

Caroni 25 Year Old Forgotten Gems

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 rum was matured for 25 years and it was bottled in tiny batch by Atom Brands.

One of 122 bottles.

Saint James 1979 Rhum Vieux

A vintage rum from the plantation Saint James on Martinique. This is a \"Rhum Agricole,\" the French term for rum distilled from freshly squeezed sugar cane juice rather than from molasses.

The Saint James brand was founded in 1765 in Saint-Pierre by the alchemist priest, Edmund Lefébure, who had built a sugar mill and distillery on the Trouvaillant estate to raise funds for the Hospitaller order, Fathers for Charity. The order lost all of their possessions following the French revolution, and the estate on Martinique passed from the state into private hands. The most successful of these was François-Paulin Lambert, who took over the Saint James plantation in 1890 having worked at its distributor for many years. It was Lambert who patented the now iconic square bottle in 1882. His family ran the Saint-Pierre distillery where this was produced until 1955, surviving both the devastating eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, and the rum market collapse following the first world war. The following two decades saw a period of transition for Saint James, which converted for the first time to the production of agricole rather than molasses-based rums, and moved to a new distillery at Saint-Marie in 1974, funded by new owners, Cointreau. Today it is run by La Martinquaise (who bought it from Remy Cointreau in 2003) and is one of the largest rum producers on the island, operating six creole column stills to produce over 4 million litres of rum per year.

Trois Rivieres 1975 Rhum Vieux

The Trois Rivieres brand originates from the distillery on the estate of the same name, established in 1660 by Nicolas Fouquet. As with many Martinique distilleries, their modern history begins at the end of the 19th century after the sugar industry went into decline. At Trois Rivieres it was 1905, and the distillery was modernised by new owner, Amédée Aubéry, an industrialist who halted sugar production on the estate entirely in order to focus on rum. The distillery was further shaped by his son, who in 1940 abandoned the use of molasses in favour of producing the agricole rum it is now world-renowned for. In 1953, the Marraud Grottes family acquired it and moved production of its popular Duquesne rum there until 1974 when the Trois Rivieres brand reappeared. Shortly after it passed into the hands of Italy’s Martini & Rossi, who sold it on to the BBS group in 1994. The original Trois Rivieres where this was produced was kept open until 2003, but BBS eventually opted to close it down and move its two column stills to their larger La Mauny distillery, where it is produced nowadays under the ownership of Gruppo Campari.

This is a 1975 vintage rhum vieux agricole.

Caroni 1994 Velier 23 Year Old 100 Proof Heavy / Guyana Stock

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 a \"double matured\" rum, distilled in 1994 and aged in its native Trinidad until 2008. The barrels were then transferred to Demerara Distillers Ltd's warehouses in Guyana where they were selected by Luca Gargano for this release in 2017. This was the first of the Guyana stock to be bottled and at the time was the oldest tropically matured Caroni to have been released.

This was Velier's 36th Caroni release.

Clarendon MMW 1984 Plantation 36 Year Old Extreme No.4 / LMDW

Launched in 2003, Plantation Rum is a brand owned by the well-established cognac producer, Cognac Ferrand. Established in 1989, Maison Ferrand has used its extensive contacts in the spirits industry to source some exceptional casks of rum. The company also has privileged access to those in the warehouses of Clarendon and Long Pond in Jamaica, through its acquisition of the West India Rum Distillery (WIRD) and the shares in National Rums of Jamaica that came with it. Its ownership of the Bajan WIRD distillery has seen it increasingly involved in rum production as well as bottling in recent years. In June 2020 it was announced that Plantation Rum would be changing its name to support the global dialogue around racial equality, with the company accepting the hurtful connotations that the word “plantation” can evoke.

Exclusive to La Maison du Whisky, this is a 36 year old, the fourth part of the dosage-free Extreme series from Plantation. Distilled in 1984 on the pot stills at the Clarendon distillery. This has spent 35 years in a bourbon cask in the tropics, and a further 1 ageing in Ferrand casks in France.

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.

Clarendon MMW 1984 Plantation 36 Year Old Extreme No.4 / LMDW

Launched in 2003, Plantation Rum is a brand owned by the well-established cognac producer, Cognac Ferrand. Established in 1989, Maison Ferrand has used its extensive contacts in the spirits industry to source some exceptional casks of rum. The company also has privileged access to those in the warehouses of Clarendon and Long Pond in Jamaica, through its acquisition of the West India Rum Distillery (WIRD) and the shares in National Rums of Jamaica that came with it. Its ownership of the Bajan WIRD distillery has seen it increasingly involved in rum production as well as bottling in recent years. In June 2020 it was announced that Plantation Rum would be changing its name to support the global dialogue around racial equality, with the company accepting the hurtful connotations that the word “plantation” can evoke.

Exclusive to La Maison du Whisky, this is a 36 year old, the fourth part of the dosage-free Extreme series from Plantation. Distilled in 1984 on the pot stills at the Clarendon distillery. This has spent 35 years in a bourbon cask in the tropics, and a further 1 ageing in Ferrand casks in France.

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.

Clarendon MMW 1984 Plantation 36 Year Old Extreme No.4 / LMDW

Launched in 2003, Plantation Rum is a brand owned by the well-established cognac producer, Cognac Ferrand. Established in 1989, Maison Ferrand has used its extensive contacts in the spirits industry to source some exceptional casks of rum. The company also has privileged access to those in the warehouses of Clarendon and Long Pond in Jamaica, through its acquisition of the West India Rum Distillery (WIRD) and the shares in National Rums of Jamaica that came with it. Its ownership of the Bajan WIRD distillery has seen it increasingly involved in rum production as well as bottling in recent years. In June 2020 it was announced that Plantation Rum would be changing its name to support the global dialogue around racial equality, with the company accepting the hurtful connotations that the word “plantation” can evoke.

Exclusive to La Maison du Whisky, this is a 36 year old, the fourth part of the dosage-free Extreme series from Plantation. Distilled in 1984 on the pot stills at the Clarendon distillery. This has spent 35 years in a bourbon cask in the tropics, and a further 1 ageing in Ferrand casks in France.

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.

Foursquare 2003 Velier 14 Year Old Destino

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.

Destino is part of the distillery's collaboration with Italian distributor, Velier.  It was matured for 12 years in Madeira casks, then finished in bourbon casks for another 2 years. It was bottled in December 2017.

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.

One of 2,610 bottles.

Clarendon 1997 Rum Sponge 25 Year Old Edition No.20

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 1997 and aged in a refill rum barrel for 25 years. One of 124 bottles.

Foursquare 2003 Velier 14 Year Old Destino

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.

Destino is part of the distillery's collaboration with Italian distributor, Velier.  It was matured for 12 years in Madeira casks, then finished in bourbon casks for another 2 years. It was bottled in December 2017.

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.

One of 2,610 bottles.

Clarendon MMW 1984 Plantation 36 Year Old Extreme No.4 / LMDW

Launched in 2003, Plantation Rum is a brand owned by the well-established cognac producer, Cognac Ferrand. Established in 1989, Maison Ferrand has used its extensive contacts in the spirits industry to source some exceptional casks of rum. The company also has privileged access to those in the warehouses of Clarendon and Long Pond in Jamaica, through its acquisition of the West India Rum Distillery (WIRD) and the shares in National Rums of Jamaica that came with it. Its ownership of the Bajan WIRD distillery has seen it increasingly involved in rum production as well as bottling in recent years. In June 2020 it was announced that Plantation Rum would be changing its name to support the global dialogue around racial equality, with the company accepting the hurtful connotations that the word “plantation” can evoke.

Exclusive to La Maison du Whisky, this is a 36 year old, the fourth part of the dosage-free Extreme series from Plantation. Distilled in 1984 on the pot stills at the Clarendon distillery. This has spent 35 years in a bourbon cask in the tropics, and a further 1 ageing in Ferrand casks in France.

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.

Long Pond 18 Year Old Plantation The Collector No.1

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.

This is an 18 year old single blended rum from the Long Pond distillery in Jamaica. A vatting of 1996 and 2000 vintage rums from the John Dore pot still and the Blair column still, this was tropically aged for 17 years in bourbon wood before a final year of continental ageing in a Ferrand cask.

This is Edition 1 of The Collector series, which aims to recreate the flavour profiles of some of the favourite rums in the collection of Steve Remsberg. As with the Plantation Extreme series, this rum has been bottled dosage-free.

Launched in 2003, Plantation Rum is a brand owned by the well-established cognac producer, Cognac Ferrand. Established in 1989, Maison Ferrand has used its extensive contacts in the spirits industry to source some exceptional casks of rum. The company also has privileged access to those in the warehouses of Clarendon and Long Pond in Jamaica, through its acquisition of the West India Rum Distillery (WIRD) and the shares in National Rums of Jamaica that came with it. Its ownership of the Bajan WIRD distillery has seen it increasingly involved in rum production as well as bottling in recent years. In June 2020 it was announced that Plantation Rum would be changing its name to support the global dialogue around racial equality, with the company accepting the hurtful connotations that the word “plantation” can evoke.

One of 389 bottles. 

Caroni 1996 Velier 23 Year Old Full Proof Blended / Tasting Gang

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.

The 38th Caroni release from Velier, this was their penultimate bottling in this now iconic series. On 12th April 2019, a group of 23 Caroni-lovers from across Europe met in France's Cognac region to sample the last 173 barrels of Caroni stock that Velier had stored in Guyana and Trinidad. This is the result of a blend of 22 of those, from both the heavy and light style produced on the Caroni pot and column stills.

100% aged in the tropics, this had an Angels' share of over 85%.

Cuban Rum 1963 Whisky Agency 60 Year Old / 15th Anniversary 

A 1963 vintage Cuban rum matured in a barrel for 60 years. Selected by and exclusively bottled for The Whisky Agency for 15th anniversary of the company.

One of 284 bottles.

The Whisky Agency was founded in Germany by Carsten Ehrlich, who is also the driving force behind The Whisky Fair in Limburg, one of the world's most renowned annual whisky gatherings. Their passion is unquestionable, and they have a regular release schedule of high quality single casks, often in collaboration with some of the most respected whisky bars and retailers. The Whisky Agency's labels include The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, Private Stock, and Liquid Sun.