Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Year Old Aged Rum
This marks the first time that Ross and I have collaborated on a review.
Just so you know who is who:
Graeme is speaking like this.
Ross is speaking like this.
Although when we get together for a rum tasting we often argue (Apple vs. Google in this case) there is something that Ross and I can wholeheartedly agree on; Zacapa 23 lives up to the hype.
Ross showed up with some Mount Gay Eclipse for general drinking, some Rumtopf in a glass jar and Zacapa 23 in a plastic soda water bottle! There was apparently some worry about it spilling from the real bottle whilst travelling but I think he was worried that I’d drink all of it.
Ahh, Graeme almost got it right. I somehow managed to crack the bottle-top (that will teach me to open it after a night at Rum Club!) A substitute cork was found, but not one I would trust to do anything but sit on a shelf!
There was some debate around the bottle design, but this is something that the two of us have always completely agreed on (and that’s saying something). As far as we are concerned, Rum is the primary beverage of pirates, and the bottle should reflect that. We want to imagine Erroll Flynn sliding down a sail using his cutlass. And while Ron Zacapa have certainly created a beautiful product, it just doesn’t have that “swashbuckling” feel. The bottle is more Tate Modern than Jack Sparrow. Not a bottle that would have attracted my attention were it not for the recommendation of our new rum friend, John Collingwood of Want to Impress and Newcastle Rum Club. (Top night and a great host. Get yourself down for the next one! 25.5.2010)
Ahh yes, it is a very Premium looking product indeed (the actual bottle as shown on the left, not the soda water bottle) and sometimes that isn’t such a good thing. Rum is rapidly becoming the next big thing and brands are experimenting with different presentations. The look of a bottle can make a big difference, but at the end of the day it’s all about the taste. Oh, and value.
If you are spending around £50 (apparently our American cousins can get a bottle for around $40, which is incredible value, lucky swines!) on a bottle of rum you need to make sure it’s worth it, luckily Zacapa 23 most certainly is. So, value dealt with, on with the taste!
The colour of this rum is much darker than my regular tipples however not quite to the levels of naval rum. In fact it reminds me more than a little of liquid bonfire toffee. The flavour is where this rum really stands out, incredibly smooth with no harsh afterburn and a distinct red berry taste with a hint of chocolate when sampled neat. Call me weird (and many have) but strangely a glass of this makes me feel like I need to buy a cabin in the woods and start hunting bears.
As my favourite way to enjoy rum is the old faithful Cuba Libre (please don’t scream “heathen” at me) this makes a fabulous accompaniment to Coke as the sweetness of both liquids really accentuate each other without the mixer overpowering the rum.
Well, I can agree with Ross on aspects of the taste. This tastes just like I imagined rum would when I discovered how it was made. When you know that rum is made from sugar cane by-products, and its colour is a lovely shade of dark brown, you expect a little sweetness and maybe a caramel element. You expect some kind of dark brown sugar feel to it. Most rums do not taste like you would imagine… This one does.
Speaking as someone who has tried many aged rums, I can wholeheartedly say that Zacapa 23 is an outstanding rum. Well worth a spot in your drinks cabinet and well worth the asking price.
Where to get it:
Being relatively new to the world of dark rum outside of the token offerings of the supermarket shelves planogram, I looked forward to taking off the training wheels. Through gentle coaxing of our esteemed host I took my first steps into the epicurean delights of the dark rum connoisseur with a bottle of R.L Seales 10 year old from Barbados.
A rum club opened last month in Newcastle upon Tyne and looks to be well worth a visit.
thoughts, citrus and chocolate, late nights at the beach, jumpers for goal posts. Maybe not, but something about it reminds me of childhood anyway.
This weekend sees the biggest event in any Rum fan’s calendar, the fantastic Rumfest!
I’ve read a LOT of good things about this rum, so many people are enthused by it but it is one of the most expensive rums around.
I’m currently sampling a rum punch brought back from Antigua by my traveling friend, this recipe from Culinary Escapade for Caribbean Rum Cake would be the ideal accompaniment.