Ron Zacapa 23 Solera

I drink rum straight up. The Ron Zacapa Solera 23 is nowhere near as smooth as other aged rums. In fact, I find it to be more than a bit harsh and oddly sweet at the same time. As such, sometimes I can tolerate it, and other times I find the alcohol burn to be a bit too much. Holding it in the mouth results in a scope mouthwash like burn, not unpleasant, but not what I'm looking for in a quality sipping rum. With that in mind, it's simply not smooth enough for the price. It does have a nice color and looks good in the glass. I absolutely don't like it mixed with Coke.

Diplomatico Reserva was one of my favorites (bang for buck), however after picking up RZ 23 at the airport, I had to admit the better overall smoothness.

I love Zacapa 23 - rounded, well-balanced, great for sipping. I love their idea of developing a special Riedel glass for sipping their rum. It's teally world-class marketing and treating their consumers highly. Bravo!

À delicate and complex rhum. Taste of lightly smoked wood. Hazelnut and very faint vanilla.

my second rum i tasted, wow, after abuelo 7 such a change and introduction of real aged rum. Had couple of litres over last months and love it more and more. Sweet and tasty. Just amazing and wil definitely keep on buying it - especially good value for 1l.
92/100

Don't get me wrong, this is a good rum, but with all the hype over the Zacapa line, this falls a little short in my opinion. Good notes of vanilla and spice, but the body and finish are a bit on the light side.

Deliciously sweet and popular. Seemingly most folks' introduction to Solera style rums.

Zacapa is an amazing rum regardless of anything. If you are lucky to be able to get ahold of one, there is no way you'll regret it. The pirates can criticize it as much as they want as if their opinion was the rule. The truth is rum is what it is, at least most of the time. That is, if you like less sweet versions of rum, that does not demerit Zacapa, that just speaks about your preferences. Zacapa has a smooth fruity, nutty flavor, not too long, which leaves a discreet, but very positive experience. I personally like to enhance it with lemon or lime and, when I am sad, even honey. The only shortcoming that I find is that I think it is slightly underproofed.

Enjoyed this one a lot around the campfire last summer. Just bought my 2nd bottle.

For its price and all the hype around it, I find this rum quite overrated. It is bit harsh and I find similar but much more pleasant (and chaper too!) rums like Plantation Guatemala or Kraken.