ZACAPA RUM NO.23
Last Sunday we met our player with his palm petate bracelet handmade by Guatemalan weavers. We heard his story and we liked it, but now it is time to discover what is inside of simple 700ml bottle with slightly sexy curves and dark mahogany color…
We will take off the aluminum sealed cork cap and release virgin sugar honey spirit from the bottle into nosing glass (without ice) and see how it taste.
NOSE
First impression when I putted my nose into glass I had a feeling that I have a whiskey in my hand, similar experience I had with Opthimus 25. Strong influence of whiskey oak casks on the first, what is for me personally quite good characteristic. Somewhere our player wears some leather but most of his perfumes he brought us from kitchen. Raisins, caramel, vanilla, apricot, some dried oranges, chocolate, brown sugar. Speaking of sugar, this fellow is very very sweet. 40gr sugar per bottle.
PALATE
Sweet, touch of tobacco makes me smile, with a piece of chocolate bitterness. Maybe coffee bitterness also, a little bit…A little bit ginger with black pepper too. But balance between hints of tobacco, vanilla and oak is
P E R F E C T!
FINISH
Once you try it, you will definitely remember it. Long sweet caramel oak taste. Life is sweet with Ron Zacapa 23 Centenaro for sure.
But what if we bring our player on the thin ice?
Or on the fat ice ball like it is in this case?
What we get?
NOSE
With large ice ball in the glass our player still reveals some whisky flavors but this time more like blended scotch, or maybe it is problem in me(even if I don’t see that as a problem). I am used to drink blended scotch with ice, so it just reminds me on scotch with ice. After one minute on ice it shows his even better side. Raisins, caramel… Wonderful!
PALATE
With ice I have a feeling that I drink very nice old fashioned. Well balanced aromas of apricot, toffee, sherry cask… But personally what I found as a “problem” is that if you sip it slowly over large ice cube, as it is written on the box, the dilution slowly kills the flavors of rum, and our player lose his game on the ice field, even he had a very good start.
FINISH
Well, good start at the beginning, and by that I mean very good start at the beginning with ice, but at the finish…Big nothing! He lost his game on ice long time before the finish. Or few minutes after start.
COCNCLUSION
Definitely well rounded and complex rum. This player will not ashamed you in front of the guests, as long you have enough in bottle for all of them. Perfect to sip it neat in cozy warm living room or hotel bar after a good dinner.
But I guess you all have expected that already. Personally I found it a little bit too sweet for my taste, especially for sipping all night. One or two would be perfect after dinner, but for some longer time with player like this, maybe for cigar night I would certainly need a little bit of “inside” help from the outside. Some aromas which our player contains that we can also find outside, just without sugar.
What kind of team player is Ron Zacapa Centenario 23, and how he gets along with other aromas in the team we will find out next Sunday.
