Caroni Aged 15 Years is the older brother of the Aged 12 Years I reviewed earlier. Both bottlings by Velier standards are relatively inexpensive.

Both rums are example of the “heavy” style of Caroni/Trinidad rum. Angostura do not produce “heavy” style rum under their own banner.

This rum was distilled in 1998 and bottled affer 15 years in 2013. In the UK a bottle of this rum costs around £55 – which is reasonable for any 15 year old rum. Let alone a piece of history. It is botled at 104 proof on the label – 52% ABV.

Like the 12 Year Old is comes in the 1940’s vintage style Caroni bottle. As with most things Velier it comes in an opaque bottle. The 12 came in a see through traditional glass bottle The retro feel of the bottle adds a nice touch. It is halfway between a stubby bottle and a tall wine style bottle. A 3/4 bottle if you like.

I’ve reviewed another similarly aged Caroni – an independent bottling from Scotland by the name of Ancient Mariner. This rum was designed to replicate the taste of Navy issue rum. That was aged for 16 years. I am expecting a rum with more in common with that bottling than the 12 Year Old Velier. Having said that this is rum so anything goes and I could be very wrong…………

In the glass the rum is noticeably darker than the 12 year old – a good shade or two darker. A very nice copper colour where the 12 was almost gold/straw.

The nose is familiar Caroni – however it is less smoky than some Caroni’s, It is much less “petrol-ey” than the 12 Year Old. It is more rounded with more fruit and a lot less of the more “intense” industrial notes that some Caroni’s have.

Zesty marmalade and lemon rind give the rum a fruity note. This runs nicely alongside the heavier notes of oak and the almost varnish aroma that is common with heavier Caroni’s.

The rum is sippable even at 52% and offers a very complex sip. Dried fruits – almost a sweet raisin note are alongside more flavours of zesty orange and lemon peel. Less of the slightly astringent smoky and petrol like notes.

The 12 and 15 variants of these rums aren’t brothers – they come from different molasses distilled in different years. This 15 year old was distilled in 1998 and aged in Trinidad until 2013. It was then moved to Scotland to be bottled. It was released in 2014 and bottles of this are still available. The 12 year old was distilled in 2000 from the last of the Trinidad molasses.

I prefer this to the 12 year old. Both the added complexity of the fruitiness in the profile and the smoother overall profile of the rum. It’s a rum which offers a lot of complexity and shows yet again just how much of an impact tropical ageing can have on a spirit.

This rum is available at a really competitive price point. I feel its relatively low price may be why it hasn’t yet sold out. It really does seem in some ways to good to be true. I’m not sure how many bottles of this rum were available from the start. I suspect it is a blend of Caroni rums that have been married at a young age and matured together. I could be wrong about this – its just a guess really as “single barrel” etc is not denoted and it may explain the lower price point? Possibly a lot more bottles

This is another top notch bottling from Velier and it really is a step up from the 12 year old. My review of the 12 year old is one of the most viewed on the site and consistently gets views every day. I sincerely hope that a few of you read this review and decide to buy this rum while you still can.

You won’t be disappointed.

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