Thanks for the detailed objective analisys sir! I like sweet rums, and im not sure if its because of that i like sweet rums, that this is the best rum i ever tasted so far, but ill leave it at that. I wanted to try it because according to some internet sources its said to be "one of the best rums in the world". A couple of days ago i went over to Denmark and picked up another "dogged contender": Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, in the same price range. As it was also deemed "one of the worlds best" couple of years ago, it shall be interesting to reflect over the differances. Thanks Again for your thoughts in this review! 👍
Thanks for the review of a rum that has been my perennial favourite for ten years or more. Zacapa 23 is a fine example of what Guatemala can produce given the time of aging. I do love the engaging oaky nose, and the long sweet burned sugar finish. Delicious!! Thanks and hope you are keeping well in these unprecedented times.
That watch is a Seiko "Blue Sumo" dive watch with an automatic movement (6R15-00GO) model SBDC033 Japanese Domestic Market only that I odered online from Japan. I have since sold it and deeply regret doing so. Awesome watch. All I think about now is buying another!
"Solera" is Spanish for sill. Not so much a window sill, but a ground sill, or a main horizontal beam. Thus the metaphor when applied to an ageing process it that the solera is a foundation or a basis for the new wine/spirit to age in, because every time wine is taken from the barrel, an amount is left behind (about half). It's a bit like when you make bread from sourdough, or yoghurt, you leave a bit behind, and you use it to make more, and you can keep that 'culture' going for many years, adding more and more flavour to the end product. This makes it hard to fairly apply the usual rules of whisky when stating the age. Using those rules, the age statement should be the youngest spirit in the bottle, so 6 years old. But the truth is there really is 23 year old spirit in there, and 22, and 21, and 20...a substantial amount of spirit that is much older than 6 years old. What I'm trying to convey is the solera system, if correctly applied, is not some ploy to put a big number on the bottle and add one drop of 23 year old spirit, while 99.9% is 6 years old. It is a genuine ageing process which can produce some fantastic drinks.
Thanks for the review. MIght try this one. Like you I prefer dryer (less sweet) but when the mood strikes, usually in cold winter evenings something sweeter is nice. If you have a chance I recommend Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum which I believe is dryer and has quite an interesting wood management.
Hey - hope you and yours are doing well. Never had that one but have had other Zacapas. Nice and thick. Love the way our southern neighbors basically run scams on the number on their labels. Not. PS. Bruised tangerines? :)
Like or Dislike: Like. Great choice for a rum review; this video will presumably accumulate a lot of views over time. When I visited Guatemala it was my understanding the distillery isn't open for tours, sadly.
Very good review Jason. Up front confession, I like rum as much as whisky but the world of rum is a minefield. Until very recently the vast majority of it was produced for cocktails. It does, of course, have a long maritime history as well, particularly with the British and Commonwealth naval forces. The rules surrounding rum production are non-existent. You can put all kinds of misleading things on the label and get away with it. In the case of this Zacapa we are informed there is 23 year old rum in it as well as 6 year old rum. The use of the word 'Solera' adds a kind of prestige, suggesting that it is all blended together to form a harmonious whole. However, the rum world permits a producer to put as little as 1% of the oldest rum in the blend and you can say it is 23 years old. A deliberate deception outlawed by the SWA for Scotch whisky. Zacapa know this as they are owned by Diageo. Hydrometer readings suggest Zacapa 23 has a healthy dollop of additional sugar added to it as well. It is almost certainly chill filtered and coloured. If I bought a glass of this at a bar in Spain they would expect me to add ice and cola in it. If you've only had cheap rum this will probably taste great and that is down to good blending and marketing. It's not a bad rum but we are in the ball park equivalent of medium grade whisky blends like Johnnie Walker Black. There is a whole different rum world out there which has been largely led by British and Italian independent bottlers. They have been responsible for transforming the rum landscape but still only count for a tiny proportion of available rum and distribution is a problem too. What you get, however, is rum without any mucking about with the same standards as Scotch whisky. No added sugar or colouring; Proper age statements and good ABV. This is high quality stuff that will appeal to experienced whisky drinkers. I'm pleased to say some of the distilleries have seen the light and are producing good stuff also.
My man, you had me at some of your cognac reviews - Henny VSOP, and Hine Rare and I subscribed. Then I checked out some of your other videos, saw scotch and other spirits. But, then I came across this video - AND, your sipping rum! That's when I said, "now, this quy's a drinker". I am excited. Keep up the good work.
I have soooo many sipping scotches for their flavor profile... as well as many Bourbons... one rum ... this one...agree not one to sip too long. Best I've found without breaking the bank. Not a rum fan...From a Rum Novice. Great Review!!!
Great review. I'm usually a Whisky guy and i like very peated smokey whiskeys like Laphroaig and Lagavulin. But i like this rum. Yes it is a sweet rum as you said, Even though i've tried rums that is ALOT sweeter than this rum(for example Diplomatico). But sometimes it's nice to have something diffrent that is smooth and non-offensive just nice to sip and enjoy.
Guess I’m an old man at 38. I’ve seen this one and wondered about it, but now it doesn’t sound appealing to me even though it sounds like a quality rum. We just have such a taste for sweet rums in the US that I do find dry rums more interesting. Indeed, earlier this year, I was groovin’ on Appleton Estate 12 Year “Rare” (cough) Blend. Ralfy gave that a positive review at a time when it was on sale in PA. I have my issues with Ralfy, but when he likes a rum, I am intrigued, and that was a damn good dry sipper. But our liquor stores are only gradually resuming operations with overwhelming demand, and neighboring states are off-limits for most purposes, so I’m still drinking locally-produced/bottled spirits for now.
Appleton 12 is a decent Jamaican rum with minimal interference. The flavour is typical of that country and Jamaican rum does have a unique style. We talk about Campbletown 'Funk' in Springbank but there is no greater 'Funk' than good quality Jamaican rum Pot distilled from molasses.Yummy.
The 23 is actually a tribute to the great Michael Jordan of Chicago Bulls fame......Jordan was known to drink Ron Zacapa and pair the drink with a Cuban cigar. So the company put the 23 on the label as a tribute
"Bruised Tangerine"?!?! Come on...enough already. That being said, Zacapa 23 is my favourite rum by far. I've tried the Zacapa XO, yet it doesn't have that satisfying boldness that Zacapa 23 has.
This rum is largely fake. I first tried it about 20 years ago in Guatemala, and I was not overly impressed. Now I know why. First, it's fake. It's a blend of rums, only a minority of which is aged 23 years. Second, they add colorings and molasses to make up for the young rums. Pay premium for crap if you want. I never again have wasted my money on this shit.
You are a cretin,Ron Zacapa,is widely regarded,as one of the best in the world.I suppose your goto is Bacardi White?Confession,Bacardi,was my goto untillIdiscoveredBarbancourt in Haiti.To this day,one of my favorite rums is Barbancourt 15y o""reserve due domaigne domaigne.It's embarrassing how often,I end up face down on the floor,drooling on the carpet,whenI drink it
I just bought this rum today and I am not so impressed, but at first i wast debating for bacardi reserva 8, appleton state 8 and went for this one instead. Do you have a rum recommendation?
@@ArturoRamirez-ef5jg Nicaragua's Flor de Caña 12 or 25 are superb. Nothing added to this company's rums. I could do with out its authoritarian leader however.
Thanks for the review of a rum that has been my perennial favourite for ten years or more. Zacapa 23 is a fine example of what Guatemala can produce given the time of aging. I doo love the engaging oaky nose, and the long sweet burned sugar finish. Delicious!! Thanks and hope you are keeping well in these unprecedented times.
Thanks for the review of a rum that has been my perennial favourite for ten years or more. Zacapa 23 is a fine example of what Guatemala can produce given the time of aging. I doo love the engaging oaky nose, and the long sweet burned sugar finish. Delicious!! Thanks and hope you are keeping well in these unprecedented times.
Thanks for the detailed objective analisys sir! I like sweet rums, and im not sure if its because of that i like sweet rums, that this is the best rum i ever tasted so far, but ill leave it at that. I wanted to try it because according to some internet sources its said to be "one of the best rums in the world". A couple of days ago i went over to Denmark and picked up another "dogged contender": Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, in the same price range. As it was also deemed "one of the worlds best" couple of years ago, it shall be interesting to reflect over the differances. Thanks Again for your thoughts in this review! 👍
Thanks for the review of a rum that has been my perennial favourite for ten years or more. Zacapa 23 is a fine example of what Guatemala can produce given the time of aging.
I do love the engaging oaky nose, and the long sweet burned sugar finish. Delicious!! Thanks and hope you are keeping well in these unprecedented times.
Hi Jason, very good review and I totally agree. What is the watch you are wearing? I’m a collector and you got my interest.
That watch is a Seiko "Blue Sumo" dive watch with an automatic movement (6R15-00GO) model SBDC033 Japanese Domestic Market only that I odered online from Japan. I have since sold it and deeply regret doing so. Awesome watch. All I think about now is buying another!
Great background info and info on the prices of making it. Nice breakdown of the smell and taste as well.
"Solera" is Spanish for sill. Not so much a window sill, but a ground sill, or a main horizontal beam.
Thus the metaphor when applied to an ageing process it that the solera is a foundation or a basis for the new wine/spirit to age in, because every time wine is taken from the barrel, an amount is left behind (about half). It's a bit like when you make bread from sourdough, or yoghurt, you leave a bit behind, and you use it to make more, and you can keep that 'culture' going for many years, adding more and more flavour to the end product.
This makes it hard to fairly apply the usual rules of whisky when stating the age. Using those rules, the age statement should be the youngest spirit in the bottle, so 6 years old. But the truth is there really is 23 year old spirit in there, and 22, and 21, and 20...a substantial amount of spirit that is much older than 6 years old.
What I'm trying to convey is the solera system, if correctly applied, is not some ploy to put a big number on the bottle and add one drop of 23 year old spirit, while 99.9% is 6 years old. It is a genuine ageing process which can produce some fantastic drinks.
Thanks for the review. MIght try this one. Like you I prefer dryer (less sweet) but when the mood strikes, usually in cold winter evenings something sweeter is nice. If you have a chance I recommend Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum which I believe is dryer and has quite an interesting wood management.
Yes , Santa Teresa is a great run💯
Great review, Rum Zacapa 23 is one of my favorite rums to enjoy with a good cigar !!
What type of cigar bro?
@@hokimoki3677 My Father "La Opulencia"
Hey - hope you and yours are doing well. Never had that one but have had other Zacapas. Nice and thick. Love the way our southern neighbors basically run scams on the number on their labels. Not.
PS. Bruised tangerines? :)
I don't think you would enjoy this one. Far too sweet and the majority of the rums making it up are closer to 6 years rather than 23. Take care!
Like or Dislike: Like. Great choice for a rum review; this video will presumably accumulate a lot of views over time. When I visited Guatemala it was my understanding the distillery isn't open for tours, sadly.
Is there any dry rum? I have never had a Dry rum! Rum is like the news media you know its fake but sometimes you can enjoy it but mostly no.
Mount Gay XO rum is pretty dry and very affordable. I reviewed it recently if you want more details.
Very good review Jason. Up front confession, I like rum as much as whisky but the world of rum is a minefield. Until very recently the vast majority of it was produced for cocktails. It does, of course, have a long maritime history as well, particularly with the British and Commonwealth naval forces. The rules surrounding rum production are non-existent. You can put all kinds of misleading things on the label and get away with it. In the case of this Zacapa we are informed there is 23 year old rum in it as well as 6 year old rum. The use of the word 'Solera' adds a kind of prestige, suggesting that it is all blended together to form a harmonious whole. However, the rum world permits a producer to put as little as 1% of the oldest rum in the blend and you can say it is 23 years old. A deliberate deception outlawed by the SWA for Scotch whisky. Zacapa know this as they are owned by Diageo. Hydrometer readings suggest Zacapa 23 has a healthy dollop of additional sugar added to it as well. It is almost certainly chill filtered and coloured. If I bought a glass of this at a bar in Spain they would expect me to add ice and cola in it. If you've only had cheap rum this will probably taste great and that is down to good blending and marketing. It's not a bad rum but we are in the ball park equivalent of medium grade whisky blends like Johnnie Walker Black.
There is a whole different rum world out there which has been largely led by British and Italian independent bottlers. They have been responsible for transforming the rum landscape but still only count for a tiny proportion of available rum and distribution is a problem too. What you get, however, is rum without any mucking about with the same standards as Scotch whisky. No added sugar or colouring; Proper age statements and good ABV. This is high quality stuff that will appeal to experienced whisky drinkers. I'm pleased to say some of the distilleries have seen the light and are producing good stuff also.
Blumo on the wrist? I’m also a Seiko/Orient man. Do you prefer Zacapa 23 or El Dorado 12? Thanks!
Its a Blumo. I prefer the El Dorado 12 as it is not as sweet.
Thanks for this review. And it's exactly like you say can't agree anymore.
Appreciate it!
My man, you had me at some of your cognac reviews - Henny VSOP, and Hine Rare and I subscribed. Then I checked out some of your other videos, saw scotch and other spirits. But, then I came across this video - AND, your sipping rum! That's when I said, "now, this quy's a drinker". I am excited. Keep up the good work.
Much appreciated!
This is one of my favorite rums for the price 😊
I have soooo many sipping scotches for their flavor profile... as well as many Bourbons... one rum ... this one...agree not one to sip too long. Best I've found without breaking the bank. Not a rum fan...From a Rum Novice. Great Review!!!
Great review. I'm usually a Whisky guy and i like very peated smokey whiskeys like Laphroaig and Lagavulin. But i like this rum. Yes it is a sweet rum as you said, Even though i've tried rums that is ALOT sweeter than this rum(for example Diplomatico). But sometimes it's nice to have something diffrent that is smooth and non-offensive just nice to sip and enjoy.
It has lots added sugar and it’s only 40%, the 23 is misleading, overpriced for what it is.
Agreed!
Guess I’m an old man at 38. I’ve seen this one and wondered about it, but now it doesn’t sound appealing to me even though it sounds like a quality rum. We just have such a taste for sweet rums in the US that I do find dry rums more interesting. Indeed, earlier this year, I was groovin’ on Appleton Estate 12 Year “Rare” (cough) Blend. Ralfy gave that a positive review at a time when it was on sale in PA. I have my issues with Ralfy, but when he likes a rum, I am intrigued, and that was a damn good dry sipper. But our liquor stores are only gradually resuming operations with overwhelming demand, and neighboring states are off-limits for most purposes, so I’m still drinking locally-produced/bottled spirits for now.
This Ron Zacapa 23 is way too sweet for the average whisky drinker. I would not buy it again, though I can appreciate its appeal.
Appleton 12 is a decent Jamaican rum with minimal interference. The flavour is typical of that country and Jamaican rum does have a unique style. We talk about Campbletown 'Funk' in Springbank but there is no greater 'Funk' than good quality Jamaican rum Pot distilled from molasses.Yummy.
@@welshtoro3256 Great insight!
Excellent rum to make coffee liqueur with or nice for sipping.
You as well buddy,,,stay safe and healthy,,From Vancouver.
A request,,,since your on a Rum kick how about a Eldorado 12 or 15yr review,,cheers
Here is my review of El Dorado 12: th-cam.com/video/9p35HWe3p9I/w-d-xo.html
The 23 is actually a tribute to the great Michael Jordan of Chicago Bulls fame......Jordan was known to drink Ron Zacapa and pair the drink with a Cuban cigar. So the company put the 23 on the label as a tribute
I hope this is true ... but it smells like a Bulls fan. Hope I'm wrong, maybe I'm just a jaded Celtics fan. Love Jordan , but who doesn't!
@@Michaele68 Sorry mate I made it up.....but it does sound like it could be true!
@@justincase5124 Not much different than the 23 on the bottle. Got it
I keep a bottle of Zacapa Solera...I've had much more expensive rum that doesn't match it...strong recommendation...
Solera means cask aged. Something like that.
Do you smoke cigars too?
Yup! Cuban and non-Cuban. My favorite Cuban brands are Montecristo and Ramon Allones. The latter is not well known but are excellent!
@@JasonDebly Love to see a review of those.
Padron all the way
"Bruised Tangerine"?!?! Come on...enough already. That being said, Zacapa 23 is my favourite rum by far. I've tried the Zacapa XO, yet it doesn't have that satisfying boldness that Zacapa 23 has.
Lol I was thinking the same thing.
Great review
Thanks!
I enjoyed the XO.
Yup, that's what I hear from others too. Apparently, the speculation is that there are no additives in the XO.
This rum is largely fake. I first tried it about 20 years ago in Guatemala, and I was not overly impressed. Now I know why. First, it's fake. It's a blend of rums, only a minority of which is aged 23 years. Second, they add colorings and molasses to make up for the young rums. Pay premium for crap if you want. I never again have wasted my money on this shit.
You are a cretin,Ron Zacapa,is widely regarded,as one of the best in the world.I suppose your goto is Bacardi White?Confession,Bacardi,was my goto untillIdiscoveredBarbancourt in Haiti.To this day,one of my favorite rums is Barbancourt 15y o""reserve due domaigne domaigne.It's embarrassing how often,I end up face down on the floor,drooling on the carpet,whenI drink it
I just bought this rum today and I am not so impressed, but at first i wast debating for bacardi reserva 8, appleton state 8 and went for this one instead. Do you have a rum recommendation?
@@ArturoRamirez-ef5jg Nicaragua's Flor de Caña 12 or 25 are superb. Nothing added to this company's rums. I could do with out its authoritarian leader however.
venado especial “ is the king 👑..!! sorry
Change playback speed to 1.25x thank me later
Thanks for the review of a rum that has been my perennial favourite for ten years or more. Zacapa 23 is a fine example of what Guatemala can produce given the time of aging.
I doo love the engaging oaky nose, and the long sweet burned sugar finish. Delicious!! Thanks and hope you are keeping well in these unprecedented times.
Thanks for the review of a rum that has been my perennial favourite for ten years or more. Zacapa 23 is a fine example of what Guatemala can produce given the time of aging.
I doo love the engaging oaky nose, and the long sweet burned sugar finish. Delicious!! Thanks and hope you are keeping well in these unprecedented times.