Caroni Tortuga no.1 22 Year Cask # 2286 700mL

Tortuga No.1 was East Asia Whisky Co.'s first rum: a single cask of Caroni, number 2286, bottled in 2021 at 66.1%. It is heavy Trinidad rum at full strength, from a distillery that closed in 2002.

About This Rum

The cask yielded 230 bottles at 66.1%, with no reduction. Tasters have picked up engine oil, menthol and black olive, with pineapple arriving later; it is dry and demanding at full strength but opens with time. The release was co-bottled with the independent bottler Precious Liquors, and the Tortuga series was set up as a partnership with The Sea Turtle Conservancy, the long-running research and conservation group, which is why a turtle sits on the label.

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Engine oil, menthol and fresh tar, then liquorice, oil paint and black olive, with pineapple later.
• Palate: Oily and intense, with mint, ginger, roasted nuts, burnt plastic and diesel against ripe banana.
• Finish: Tarry and persistent, with sharp peppermint, caramel, olive and leather.

Serving & Food

At 66.1% this is a very strong rum, so keep the measure small and have a jug of still water beside the glass. A tulip glass at room temperature works best. Pair with 85% dark chocolate or a plate of roasted, salted cashews.

How to Enjoy

A drinker who enjoys cask-strength spirits at their most uncompromising, or a side-by-side with Tortuga No.2.

Product Details

About the Distillery

East Asia Whisky Co. is an Asian independent bottler that started with whisky and moved into rum with this cask. The Tortuga series ties each release to marine conservation, with support going to The Sea Turtle Conservancy.

Its rum comes from Caroni, the Trinidad distillery that shut in 2002. After Velier's main purchase, surviving casks passed through brokers and other independent bottlers, and a small number still turn up as single casks like this one.