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Ron Zacapa 23 Sistema Solera Rum
Aged Rum — Guatemala
Reviewed
December 21, 2017 (edited October 21, 2024)
Nose: An initial waft of wood that is followed by intense honeyed raisin and caramel/brown sugar aromas. A zephyr of warm spice (primarily cinnamon) carrying notes of sherry and leather. Deeper nosing reveals a pineapple/citrus presence, and then wood is found again, deep down, but not as an oaky aroma - something lighter and more fragrant, like cedar or sandalwood.
Palate: The arrival is a sweetly floral wave like honeysuckle nectar, which then transmutes into a deeper honeyed apricot and raisin liqueur. Silken, velvety, and seductive. As this luscious arrival morphs into the palate proper, leatherwood and manuka honeys appear, then prunes, creamy caramel, vanilla, an array of gentle warm spices, orange liqueur, coconut and honey-roasted figs.
Finish: The developed palate segues effortlessly into a medium finish that is a blend of dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, honeys, dark sugars and spice.
Whether or not this rum works for you will depend entirely on whether you have a sweet tooth. Some would consider it to be a delicious alternative to a sauternes, sweet sherry or moscatel and ideal as a dessert liqueur. Others would simply find it unbearably sweet and tooth-achingly cloying.
I initially enjoyed the bottle I had but after slowly working through it over the space of about 2 years I have no desire to buy it again, at least for a while. It's a good liqueur rum but there are dozens of other sweet liqueurs I prefer.
"Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)
110.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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Yeah it was only at the very beginning of my rum journey I liked this but I'd fallen out of love way before I even found whiskey. Way to sweet.
Addendum - and also rhums agricole. Trust the French to take something simple and sweet developed by the English and invent haut goût.
@PBMichiganWolverine Yeah, this stuff bears about as much resemblance to any Caroni I've tasted as it does to Laphroaig. I used to keep one bottle of sweet rum in the drinks cupboard for friends who particularly enjoyed it after dinner (or as a topping over chocolate ice cream - try it!). However nowdays I can't stand the sight of the stuff. I've been seduced by ultra-funky, dry rums that have more in common with diesel fuel :-)
@Slainte-Mhath @cascode I’ve not tried many rums, namely because i always assume they’d be overly sweet. But, I absolutely fell in love with Caroni. That was right up there with the best of any whiskey Unfortunately...it’s really pricey.
@cascode Great review. Not sure if I would have bought my bottle, if I had read your review first. I was in the mood for a malternative, so I grabbed a 1L bottle of Ron Zacapa 23 Sistema Solera in duty free. I knew that it was not 23 years old, so no disappointment here. With no real experience of sipping rums, I can only refer to my whisky experience, which leads to a similar rating of @PBMichiganWolverine and @Scott_E - something between 3 and 3.5 stars. A bit spirity and thin, rather sweet, but very drinkable. Maybe I will write a review when I am though my bottle.