Name: Ron Zacapa Centenario Sistema Solera 23
Type: Rum
Origin: Guatemala
ABV: 40%
Price: $51.99 at our local Randall’s Wine and Spirits
As I have mentioned in past reviews, we like a little bit of variety from time to time when purchasing our spirits. The latest variety over the last couple of months has been rum. For some odd reason, not everyone seems to think the wonderful cask strength golden elixir from Islay is for them (heretics all of them). The great thing about rum, especially those from the Caribbean, is that it caters to different types of drinkers. The scotch and bourbon drinkers are made happy by the smooth, rich flavor while those who prefer something sweeter and less ‘medicine-like’ get exactly that. Rum is also more often that not more affordable than some of the higher end spirits (usually between $10-20 per bottle).
The Ron Zacapa brand I have known about for years, the first time having it at a friend’s house. It was actually one of the higher end spirits from them that he let me try. Since then, I have been more than happy to try the rest of their selection whenever I get the opportunity. This particular bottle, the Centenario Sistema Solera 23, was a random purchase from my wife. She saw that we were in need of a bottle of something and randomly choose this. As you will be able to tell from the review, she choose correctly.
The Sistema Solera has a fantastic dark, maple syrup like color to it. This is one of the first rums I’ve had that did not have a strong nose for flavors. Both flavor notes picked up, spice and toffee, were faint. Immediate notes on the palette gave me something akin to maple syrup, light molasses and dried fruit. The aftertaste gave return to the toffee notes from the nose accompanied by butterscotch.
In terms of pairing this with a cigar, I would probably lean towards something in the medium-to-full to full bodied range. For testing purposes, I smoked a La Gran Llave and it paired nicely. I think if you were to go too mild on the cigar, the rum despite it being not overly sweet, would overpower the cigar.
Overall, I find the Sistema Solera to have a nice balance between sweet flavors and rich body. The price of it is right in line with what I would expect from the scotch I normally drink (in the 60 range). This is one bottle that I know will find its way to my house again.
Final Score: 9/10
As always, thank you very much for reading and I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.
