Caroni revived: Trini’s artwork featured on European rum bottles

A local artist has once again placed Trinidad on the world map…well bottle in this case.

According to a post on his social media page, Che Lovelace announced his collaboration with vintage rum firm La Maison & Velier.

He said: “It is with real Trinidadian pride that I share this project which has been in the works for a couple of years. This collaboration with the Italian / French vintage rum firm, La Maison & Velier will feature 21 of my paintings on bottles and packaging for these rare Trinidadian rums recently launched in Europe.”

As the story goes, renowned Italian rum collector and founder of Velier, Luca Gargano visited Trinidad about two decades ago and managed to acquire the last casks of aged brown rum from the then recently closed Caroni Trinidad Limited rum distillery.

Trini artist Che Lovelace. Image taken from his social media page.

Lovelace noted that the last of these casks, 21 in total, is now being bottled and released in limited editions worldwide by the company known for finding rare rums that go on to gain cult status globally.

He said: “This special collaboration will feature 21 of my paintings, one for each of the casks to be released…five so far have been put out. For me, this is a testament to our potential. At our best, this small place can reach every corner of the globe with a bit of beauty and magic to share.”

“I have not opened and tasted one of these bottles yet….but Carnival season coming soon,” he quipped.