Ron Zacapa Edicion Negra

I did not think that I would like this heavily smoked rum. but I gave it a try anyway. Many compare this one to their Zacapa 23, but that one is long forgotten by me and will never be bought again. I recently had their much better Ron Zacapa XO which ranks in my top 10 percent of all rums that I have reviewed. This one? Well not quite. It is good, but just not worth it's $62 US price tag. It appears to be made from distilled sugar cane juice and and aged at high altitude in double charred barrels. At first taste, it is like WOW! Then it becomes more smoke than rum, but not quite to the point of being sickening. Dare I say this, but just add a few drops of liquid smoke to your favorite dry rum and save yourself lots of change. For lovers of peat heavy single malts from Islay, I can recommend this rum to those. However, I would much rather spend my money on a bottle of Lagavulin 16 Single Malt than this rum in hiding.

A few weeks later, I tried like hell to find the best way to drink this one and could not. Well, since two wrongs can often make one right, I added the overly sweetened Kaniche Perfeccion to this one. At first, it was a 50/50 mixture. Then I tried 5 parts of this rum to 3 parts of the Kaniche Perfeccion. Voila! That combo suddenly became drinkable. However, I won't buy either one again because one should not have to go through these experiments just to make pricey rums drinkable.

Nice smell and taste full of chocolate and smoke. Very complex with long aftertaste.

It is more mature than classic 23y and more complex. You can feel more oak and smoke due to additional ageing in burned bourbon casks. Rest of the flavour profile is similar to classic 23y but this one seems to me more balanced.

Find it a bit sharp, spicy, but that fades away. Aftertaste is very light and it fades away, but a nice drink.

The Zacapa Edicion Negra is a darker and more full flavour version of the original Zacapa 23 Solera. It has the same spiced treacle-flavour, but it is more intense and full bodied while being less intense at the same time, which makes it feel more balanced and enjoyable.
It is neck and neck however, so either one is a perfect drinking companion.

I had this at Rumba in Seattle as at the time you couldn’t get it here in Canada. I have a bottle now. It’s very good as good or better than the 23 but has that charcoal hint to it.

If you like the regular expression of Zacapa Solera 23, this edition will also hit you in the right places. Not as sweet as the regular 23, but very smooth and tasteful. A must in your collection.

Très beau rhum de dégustation, pour ceux qui aime le goût fumé, ils vont beaucoup l'apprécier.

This Zacapa Edición Negra is more balanced than the Zacapa 23. Less sweet! Although stronger in alcohol percentage, you hardly taste that.

it has a pleasant nose that hints of a little sweetness but has some bite. Taste is strong and smooth with a little tangy bite but not very sweet. Not much heat, but the tangy bite stay quite long in the aftertaste and has just a little heat that builds really late after swallowing. Late in the aftertaste I'm getting a little bit of fruity taste after a long fade. Tried this one neat. After the initial 2 tastes, the nose became even more pleasant and a little sweeter. Letting it sit a little longer allowed it to be dryer with a more complex flavor and heat that my palette is unable to define.