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Ron Zacapa XO Rum is produced in the highlands of Guatemala where it is distillled from fresh cane juice. The rum is then aged from 6 to 23 years at 7544 feet above sea level at 62 °F (17 °C) using the solera process. The solera aging process incorporates barrels that previously held American whiskeys, sherries, wines and Cognac
The unique Ron Zacapa XO glass decantur features an impression of a woven band around the middle, which is in reference to the original hand woven palm leaf petate bottle cover that covered the bottle
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Brilliant sipping rum. I grab one each time I use the Fort Erie Duty Free.
Posted
2 years ago
Pretty sweet and heavy mouthfeel sugar almost caramel - nice but a tad sweet. Again, in the midst of a flight last week
Posted
2 years ago
When it comes to presentation, it is close to perfection. The aroma is like a brandy.
It is a bit bitter and spiced on the after taste which is disappointing.
It is a really good rum though. A group of us drank the whole bottle. What I mean is that is very easy drinking.
Posted
2 years ago
It's stupid smooth but really dry (I have read that they add sugar and I can see why, this may be the driest rum in my house) but its real flaw is that it has a SLIGHT medicinal hint (FAR less than say, Sailor Jerry) in both nose and palate and a slight tongue tingle (which, I personally enjoy so long as it doesn't burn or bite, which it doesn't but I realize not everyone cares for.) That said, it's still pretty damn good despite its flaws. As others have stated, it's not extremely complex but it still tastes good. My state decided to close it out and so I snagged a bottle for less than $100 but if your location still carries it regularly, it will likely run you $20-50 more. I would say that this is a definite bottle to buy but it is fairly expensive and (in my opinion,) slightly flawed. If you're cool with that, pick yourself up a bottle. If not, there are some products that are just as good for far less money and better bottles that cost more if you can afford it. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with my purchase and I definitely feel like I got my money's worth. Really good but not great...
Posted
2 years ago
I was skeptical because i didn't like at all zacapa 21 but at a friend house I had the occasione to taste this one. It's still too sweet for me and also imho it is too much expensive (130€), but I was verty surprised, it is smooth, but not too gentle, a lot of brown sugar and oak, you can definetly taste the cognac barrels there. It was a nice surprise and I am aure a lot of people will enjoy this bottle, but for me it is not worth the price. There are better rums for the same price and even for far less than this.
Oak and molasses become an elixir of the Gods!!!!!
Beautiful packaging and bottle. The nose for me is just not my cup of tea, maybe because I don't particularly like cognac. I tend to enjoy rum finished in bourbon casks and sherry casks. This was also a little harsher on the finish than I would have thought. Its definitely enjoyable and I would never turn down a glass, buts it not a bottle I would ever buy again.
Posted
over 2 years ago
Save $100 and get the 23 its better and cheaper hard to beat the 23
Posted
over 2 years ago
Truly a great tasting rum! A little on the sweeter side with a little bite at the end.
Posted
over 2 years ago
Not much to say here except the flavor here is rich and bold, leaves a very satisfying taste at the back of your palate. We killed 2 bottles of this on my patio.
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Not quite a 9
7
/10
out of 10
Since I did not have much luck at all with their Zacapa 23 Solera, I was hesitant to plunk down about $90 US on a bottle of this. I tried to sample one pour at a few rum bars, but they were all out. So I walked into one of my favorite liquor stores this morning and this black box just begged me to take it home. My curiosity can be quite costly at times.
My bottle is of the newer design as shown in the photo. When poured into the snifter, it is a reddish mahogany color. The inside of the black box mentioned all of the different casks that were used for aging, including red wine. It supposedly has 26 gpl of added sugar and it's viscosity in the glass shows. Rums of between 6 and 25 years were used in the blend. The aroma is like a fine perfume. Too many complex flavors meld together in harmony, but are dominated by caramel and wood.
The closest rum that I would compare it to is Plantation XO 20th Anniversary at slightly less than half the price. No surprise here, since both are partially aged in cognac casks. As expected, Ron Zacapa XO is a few shades darker than the Plantation XO. Both have complex flavors, but the Plantation is more of fruit while the Ron Zacapa is of wood. If you blindfolded someone to test them side by side, I doubt anyone could tell which one is more expensive. It looks like I won't be buying Ron Zacapa XO again, but I still rate it as a 8. It is just not worth another $90 from me.
I started out ranking this rum as my third overall favorite, right behind Dictador XO Insolent and Dictador 20. Therefore, it starts out with a rating no higher than a 9 (which wound up back down to an 8). However, since it is heavily sweetened, I expect the flavors to change in the bottle over the next few weeks. Blame Christmas Eve and finishing off this bottle after only two weeks to show me it's excessive woody weaknesses.
Update June 14, 2020: I know that I had stated that I would buy no more of this rum, but after finishing a major photo scanning project during the pandemic lock down, I rewarded myself with another bottle of this rum since lots of concert refunds paid for it. Guess what? It lasted all of 5 days! But due to it's fancy bottle and heavy sugar dosing, this really should be reserved for guests who do not know anything about rum. I am now ready to knock my rating down to a 7.