Flag Series Trinidad 26 Year Old 1999 is part of the Flag Series , La Maison & Velier's collection of independent bottlings . Each release in this series is dedicated to a producing country and limited to a few hundred bottles. The label features a simple flag of Trinidad and Tobago : the bottler doesn't name the distillery, presenting it only as a legendary site on the island, closed in 2002. These clues point to the Caroni distillery . Since its closure, its remaining stocks have become collector's items , and each cask still available reduces a reserve that will never be replenished.
Caroni was located in the center of the island, amidst the plantations of the former state-owned sugar company of the same name. It distilled molasses from sugarcane grown on the island. Its column stills produced distillates of varying styles. The heaviest, rich in aromatic compounds, were long used in blends destined for the Royal Navy. It is this dense character, sometimes with petrol notes, that earned the distillery its reputation among connoisseurs.
This single cask (cask no. CR98/99BB1) has a unique characteristic: it blends two vintages, 40% from 1998 and 60% from 1999. The two eaux-de-vie were combined in a bourbon barrel , where they aged together. The 26-year age corresponds to the younger vintage. The rum was bottled at cask strength at 57.9% ABV , without dilution, a high strength despite more than a quarter of a century spent in oak.
