RX3452 
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The Battle of the Legends is taking place right now before breakfast. These two Paradise casks have emerged yesterday (almost unanimously) as the absolute spearhead of Velier Caronis. Now there is the showdown with fresh tongue… 
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We have just tasted the first flight of the final day: All 1998 Caronis from Velier. Spoiler: We were really surprised how the rums just fell off compared to the outstanding 1996 vintage. The rums are all of very good quality, of course, but there are quite a few points between the legendary bottlings of yesterday. And almost unanimously, the Paradise single cask was #1 - again confirming the outstanding cask selection of the Caroni Ceremony in April 2019. Velier has indeed reserved the best casks for single casks, which will be released in the coming years.
Let’s continue with the first flight of 2000 Caronis. I am sure that here again some surprises and highlights await us!
We invite you to check out our reviews in the RumX app and spot our highlights. 
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I’m surprised by your impressions of the 1974, to be honest I heard it was one of the most interesting. Which one from pre-90s is your winner?
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My personal highlight was the (RX3140) from 1982. A real masterpiece. The 77.3% are not noticed in the blind tasting but have simply produced an incredibly chocolaty and nutty profile that lingers forever.
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How do you manage pouring blind?
Someone has to know the order. I cannot imagine that steffen‘s wife is playing the barkeeper for 7 slightly tipsy rum geeks three days long 
Do you rotate „the pourer“ each round?
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We have well-defined roles:
Two of us are responsible for pouring. We stick a number under the glasses and write down the poured rums with the corresponding numbers on the " resolution sheet".
Another person then shuffles the glasses. Another person positions them on the tasting table.
Only then do all the participants come into the room and the tasting starts.
In teams of 2 the rums are then tasted and the impressions are recorded on a blanc tasting sheet.
After all teams are done, we look under the glasses and announce the resolution.
After that, we then all enter our notes and ratings into the RumX app. 
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Great way of doing that 
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Day 3: The Grand Finale of the ‘Epic Velier Caroni Tasting’ 
As the sun set on this extraordinary weekend, we concluded our exploration of the legendary Caroni rums by Velier. Today we dived into the vintages of 1998 and 2000, blind tasting each drop, and immersing ourselves in the captivating flavors.
The ten rums from the 1998 flight faced tough competition from yesterday’s benchmarks, earning consistent yet good ratings. However, the 2000 vintages lit up our palates once again with several highlights. The forthcoming Paradise Release (Barrel number #4053) scooped up the top ratings, hinting at the splendid jewels Velier has in store for us in future releases.
To commemorate the end of our epic tasting journey and to rejuvenate our taste buds, our Grill Master Steffen fired up the grill and cooked up some excellent steaks.
But the night had more to offer. To let the flavors of the 103 tasted Caronis linger a little longer, we embarked on a special wellness journey. First, we dipped into the 36-degree hot tub. Then, the weekend’s wellness highlight: A sauna infusion with an intense and powerful Caroni rum by our Master Sauna, Steffen.
We are incredibly grateful to have savored this once-in-a-lifetime weekend with such an extraordinary lineup. Are you curious about our absolute favorite Caronis? Check out our ratings on the RumX app.
In the coming days, we will look back on this epic event and prepare a detailed summary on the RumX website - including a list of highlights and interesting statistics.
Now we turn to you, our RumX community: Which Caroni release is your absolute favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Caroni Aufguss. Ich glaube, es geht nicht dekadenter. 
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We appreciate your concerns regarding our sauna ritual. Please rest assured, no Caroni Single Cask was used for this. It was a touch of humor, using Caroni-enhanced neutral alcohol. We’re here to celebrate rum, not waste it. Thank you for your understanding!
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Our “Epic Velier Caroni Tasting” has come to a close after three remarkable days. Here’s a brief recap:
- Day 1: We embarked on our rum journey, exploring Velier Caroni vintages from 1974 through 1994 in blind tasting sessions. The 1985 20yr 75.5% (RX4933) and the 1982 23yo 77.3% (RX3140) stood out, and the 1994 lineup, including the 6 upcoming Caroni Paradise releases, was unforgettable.
- Day 2: We plunged into the esteemed 1996 vintage, tasting a variety of exceptional Caroni releases, including the new Paradise releases. The quality was consistently high, leading us to a unanimous favorite - a detail we’ll reveal in due course.
- Day 3: We wrapped up our journey with the 1998 and 2000 vintages. While the 1998 flight earned good ratings, the 2000 vintages, especially the forthcoming Paradise Release (Cask number #4053), shone brightly.
Notable highlights:
- 1994 vintages: The yellow 23 (RX147) and the Full Proof (RX5304) stole the show.
- 1998 vintages: A slight disappointment when compared to the high benchmarks.
- 1996 vintages: The vintage was outstanding, with “The Last” (RX38) shining. The upcoming Paradise Releases are, in my opinion, among the best Caronis ever bottled.
- Best value for money: Caroni 21 (RX39).
- Surprising insight: In all flights, the new Paradise Releases unanimously topped the charts. The quality of the selections from the Caroni Ceremony in Cognac in April 2019 is simply stunning.
We are incredibly grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime weekend. Check out the RumX app for our ratings, and stay tuned to the RumX website for a detailed summary of this epic event, including a list of highlights and interesting statistics.
We’d love to hear from you. Which Caroni release is your absolute favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Many thanks to @Oliver , @Jakob , @StefanoCaroni , @Johannes and the others for sharing this great tasting experience!!!
Kudos also to Velier for sharing the Paradiso samples! I expect it to be the first AND last time to sample all together.
I think if you have this mass of samples available allows you to set the single rums in the right perspective. Not every sample has to be rated as mangificent just because it is a Caroni from Velier. Just see the rating of the 1998 vintage.
So what does this session means for the „average“ rum lover? It gives you an idea how good Caroni could be. And it is a great read.
I‘ve never had a bad Caroni so far, my favourites are
1982 58,3% (RX1217) (it is also the only unicorn I‘ve tasted)
17 Years Extra Strong (RX60) (I love the agricole style of this rum)
1994 Guyana stock (RX147) (a great nose!!!)
Bristol 1997/2015 61,5% (RX358) (not only Velier issued excellent Caronis!)
So many thanks again for this great session! GOAT!
And recover welll…
I‘m curious when you feel in the mood for Caroni again?
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Yes, thanks a lot for sharing your experience. It seems that you didn’t liked the 1998 a lot. Was it because it came after the 1996 ? Or were you a bit tired, or were they really weaker ?
I love Caroni and the best I’ve tried is a… 1998 from Sponge (RX8715), then the same Guyana stock as Joachim (RX147) which I didn’t liked at the opening of the bottle and loved more and more. Then two Velier 1996 (RX468) and (RX39) and a Kill Devil (RX6453). Sorry for the lack of experience.
It would be a dream to participate once at an event like that (or even much much much smaller).
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I forgot The last from 1996 (RX38) that I tasted in a bar and this experience immediately plunged me in the world of great unsweetened aged rums. But I haven’t reviewed it yet in the app.
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Hey cigares,
thanks for your impressions and for sharing your personal experience! 
The flight with the 1998 vintage was directly the first lineup on the 2nd day, so the taste buds were still quite fresh (moreover, we took a break of about 3 hours after each flight). Therefore, the time should play a rather minor role.
In order to be able to classify the ratings well in the overall lineup, we used a glass of the red “21” (RX39) as a reference point for each flight. On this basis, we then adjusted the ratings accordingly.
Please do not misunderstand me. The 1998 Caronis were all of very good quality (mid to high 8’s rating range), only falling a bit short compared to the stunning quality of the other vintages (especially 1996).
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