Aus Direktimport USA:
1 Fl. Zacapa Centenario 23, 75 cl Fl. ,40 % vol. alk.
Objective Notes
Extremely Smooth (on the RnD scale of Harsh-Smooth-Very Smooth-Extremely Smooth)
A deep, noble mahogany-brown color shows beautifully in the bottle and your glass. The aroma is intricate and gloriously rewarding. If rum were perfume, its name would be Zacapa XO. Complementing the aroma are hints of dried fruit (dates, raisin, apricot, apple), vanilla, and spices (clove and cinnamon), all balanced with timeless perfection. As for the initial taste, it is in a word: exquisite. Zacapa XO is completely delicious, one of a handful of rums that forces RnD to re-calibrate our superlatives. Following is a body perfectly gentle and warming to the palate, with a slight essence of vanilla. A long finish works at the back corners of your tongue like the finest light chocolate, slowly and quietly fading, like a whisper “savor, savor.”
Anecdotal Notes
Zacapa demonstrates how to present one of the world’s finest rums with discretion. A glass and cork stopper sits atop a slim pyramid of a bottle embossed with the signature palm leaf pattern, playing homage to the containers for their younger rums. Elegant and understated, the bottle gives you pause – like peering through a display case at fine jewelry – only inside here lies superior aged rum.
Zacapa XO is distilled from concentrated sugar cane syrup, similar in consistency and color to honey, but with a more earthy taste, and then aged in a variety of barrels and blended in a modified solera system to attain consistent quality, aroma and flavor. Barrel types include: new American oak, recharred American oak previously used to age bourbon, used Pedro Ximenez Sherry, and used Cognac French oak. Aging takes place in the cool mountains of Guatemala at an altitude of approximately 8,000 feet thereby slowing down the aging process compared within most Caribbean rums. The high altitude and low temperatures reduce the evaporative osmosis affects known as the “Angel’s Share.” And who can blame the makers of Zacapa XO, a rum this fine should be preserved.
Taster’s Opinion
Dave - Ron Zacapa XO undoubtedly deserves its reputation as one of the finest rums in the world. Very difficult to find in the US, but worth the quest. The beautiful bottle alone is a bargain, but of course the real artisan’s treasure of the Guatemala mountains is found inside, and one taste will test your generosity.
Roger - If you are a connoisseur of rum this must be on your list. Before Diageo assumed distribution for Ron Zacapa, the XO was difficult to find. In 2008, I had been seeking it for a while and was very happy to find it in the duty free shop in Panama. Fortunately for rum lovers everywhere, it has become widely available. Zacapa XO is everything you’d want a bottle of rum to be if you closed your eyes and dreamed of tasting one of the World’s best rums. If the price is too high for you or you just can’t find it try it’s younger sibling, Zacapa Centenario 23 year old, which is almost as good but sells for about half the price.
Taster's Rating (10 is best): Dave- 10 Flasks; Roger - 10 Flasks
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