Ron Zacapa 23 Solera

I've heard people raving and complaining about this rum for years, so I just had to finally buy a bottle and experience it for myself. Nothing spectacular about the bottle, the colour or the scent. I've tried it straight, with ice and mixed with coke, and although all variations were quite nice, I have to agree with the complain camp. This stuff would have been so much better if it hadn't been so sweet(ened). I've heard the Zacapa XO is much better, basically a more matured and less sweetened version. I'm not going to buy that one, because the price is sky-high. The truth is, at this price range, the 23 Solera should have been what the XO is claimed to be . There's no doubt I'm going to finish and enjoy the bottle, but it is a bit of a con, really.

I read it has a lot of additives. Nonetheless it was a quite lovely rum.

I had high hopes for this going in. I was not worried about sugar issues cause I wasn’t gonna down a 12oz can of it. What surprised me though with the newly opened bottle was the burn! Like some peppers had been marinated in it or something. And I didn’t care for the taste. So I compared it with a couple of my other rums. I tried it on ice. I just poured it down the sink. Early the next morning I poured some more and let it air out some more. I tried it again with an open mind. This time I liked it! The burn was down and the flavor was better. My advice is give it time. Let it breathe. I still have a few more I want to try.

The first thing I noticed upon opening the bottle was a super sweet candy floss smell, which did not linger once it was poured into the glass. In the glass it is a dark amber colour which is pleasing. The rum itself is sweet, bit not as sweet as say Diplomatico RE, and very drinkable. Drinkable sums up this rum. Very nice for a sweeter rum, but lacks the complexity I would like at this price point. A Pampero Anniversario or Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva does everything this rum does at half the price or less. Cocktail shown is a Ruby of the Sea from YouTube's How to Drink.

Alle mands eje, men gider den ikke mere ok til drinks

Ikke en sofistikeret rom, men en ganske fin ledsager til en tv aften eller til kaffen med gæster, hvis det ikke er vigtigt at snoppe rom.

Nice very smooth tasty rum.. Good pairing with cigar

I can see why many people love this—it’s sweet, it’s strongly flavored with reliable notes of coffee, nuts, and chocolate, and it’s priced among other mid to high end sippers from Jamaica, Barbados, and Venezuela. But this blend from Guatemala desperately needs ice in my opinion—otherwise, it gives me a harsh burn that travels into my chest. When chilled and softened, its a decent sipper, but I still prefer its competitors from the aforementioned countries.

This had a lot of hype and for me, simply didn't deliver. It wasn't bad at all, but not one I would buy again with so many fantastic choices in this price range.

Auf jeden Fall ein Kauf wert. Es gibt sicher smoothere rum. Aber schöne Farbe und gut im Geschmack. Langweilige Flasche.