Ron Zacapa Centenario - Solera Grand Reserve
 System Solera 23.
Browsing the web, reading about rum as I do - you can't help but notice lots of comment on the quality of Ron Zacapa. Thinking 'I'll get to it in due course' so I've not particularly chased after it. My attention was caught recently when I was reading about one of my favourite brands, Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva and somebody made a comparison regarding the taste. The upshot was that the Exclusiva might run the Zacapa close, but the Zacapa was still superior. I also saw that if you like Zacapa - you might like the Exclusiva as well. What does this mean? Nothing really - everyone has an opinion. What's the best rum in the world? Well Rum Ambassador, Ian Burrell would say "Whatever you have in your glass!" (I feel that it's true as long as you filled your own glass!) My choices depend on my mood, but as I'm not filthy rich - economics come into it a bit too!
My first taste of a Zacapa (I can't remember which expression) was at the IPB 10th Birthday party. As I was driving home afterwards, I couldn't really do more than a sip and I remember thinking 'what's the fuss all about?' My second, third, fourth and probably quite a lot more came at Rum Renaissance, where Ron Zacapa was featured quite heavily. They were being generous with the rum and a few nice little gifts as well. I got the chance to talk about the rum and try a glass of it. The story behind the rum is evocative and the little info packs do present it to be something pretty special. It's a bit of luck too as the taste was quite frankly gorgeous.
I've mentioned previously that we brought back a bottle from Miami with us. Try as I might I can't find the till receipt from Gulf Liquor, so I can't tell you how much it cost. The entire till receipt was $113.39 (on my credit card statement as £75.53) and I got two bottles of Atlantico at the same time. It couldn't have been more than $50, which is generally how I rate the rip off we suffer in the UK. Generally the price of something in dollars is the same in Sterling here in the UK - factor in the exchange rate difference and you see the rip off. My theory is backed up a nicely by the fact that the shelf price in The Vintage House is £49.95. More on sourcing your own later...
Back in the UK, in the company of our good friend Richy we were quickly reminded of just how nice this is. Out came the Miami purchases and so we opened the Zacapa 23yo Solera. Rich has been subjected to a few rums over the last few months. We try not to give him first sip while Pauline and I sit back and wait for the reaction - it's unfair to use him like a 'canary in a coal mine', not since introducing him to our first Rhum Agricole which was quite funny as it was pretty fiery! Anyway, the reaction this time couldn't have been more different. In our own slightly poncy way we've taken to following a procedure in our first tastes. First a good sniff, looking for the range of smells present. Secondly, a sip of it neat and then perhaps with the addition of ice or water and depending on the rum in question, perhaps with a mixer as well. In the case of the Zacapa, we didn't get pass the 'neat' stage. I still don't know what it's like with ice or water and I'll run the risk of jail time if someone tries to mix anything with the Zacapa in our booze cabinet. Two thirds of a bottle disappeared in short succession. Richy was blown away by the way it smelt - he must have done more than smell it as the glass generally emptied itself pretty quickly. The tasting notes brought back from Miami read along the lines of "Great intensity, sweet with notes of wood. Sweet fruitness, vanilla, almond, chocolate, toasted wood and delicate hints of spice". It really does live up to expectations. "I can't get over the smell" was heard from Richy on more than one occasion. With a 'strength of will' that suprised even me, we managed to put the bottle down and save some for another time. But I will admit, that whilst I write this, I've allowed myself a tiny tot, just to jog my memory. It's a shame that I'm writing this at 10am on a Sunday morning - I really would like to get a decent glassful and try it with the single large cube of ice as the tasting notes recommend. I'm happy to drink rum anytime of the day, but I have jobs to do and being worse for wear won't help.
Zacapa is produced in Guatemala. The information booklet makes a big thing about the fact that it is aged at an altitude of 2,300 metres above sea level. Before moving on, I think this needs to be put into some sort of geographical, historical context. Guatemala is located on the long strip of land that connects the North American mainland to the South American mainland. It's mostly open to the Pacific, but does have direct access to the Caribbean. Because of Columbus and subsequent land grabs by the Spanish [The Brits, French and Dutch were just as bad - just for the record] it has a history of sugar cane plantations and so as with any other part of the Caribbean, rum became part of its history. It's a land with active volcanoes and verdant countryside. A land of tropical rainforests and an ancient history, the Mayan's are a well known race, but the area has had a human presence for some 12,000 years. Volcanic activity generally lead to extremely fertile land, coupled with a tropical climate with year round sunshine, it provides ideal growing conditions for sugar cane.
Zacapa is made from the first pressing sugar cane, which they like to call sugar cane virgin honey. I'm not sure that there is ever a second pressing (please correct me if I'm wrong), so the 'first press' term might just be a marketing spin. I've been lead to believe that working with sugar cane juice is difficult (more so than molasses), because fermentation will start pretty much immediately due to the natural bacteria present in the plant. It's been hinted at by a nameless source, that rum made with cane juice is extremely likely to vary in consistency. Molasses is much more stable and consistent and so this probably explains the necessity for 'Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala' to age the rum using the solera process and thereby solve this issue. Just a little speculation - I would truly love to be 'put right' by an expert. A good piece of technical input comes directly from Lynnette (introduced later in this piece): "We take the first press cane juice, filter and heat it up forming the sugar cane honey. This looks like molasses, but is lighter on the palate and retains more of the delicate flavours of the cane as it still retains all the sugar content. Lorena Vasquez (also introduced later) the female master distiller likes to use this medium because it has more flavour".
The part that makes the rum special and is the star of the show in terms of marketing is that fact that after distillation, the rum heads to the Guatemalan highlands. Aged some 2,300 metres or a mile and a half above sea level - literally above the clouds, the cooler temperature is claimed to aid the aging process. In the lowlands, the tropical heat would cause the 'angels share' to be much higher due to the faster evaporation. The angels share is the natural evaporation from the barrel over time. The hot Caribbean temperatures generally age it's spirits four/five times faster than they would if they were located in Scotland for example, temperature and interplay are related, but my lack of chemistry prevent further explaination. The interplay between the wood of the barrel and the liquor contents gives the alcohol its flavour, colour and character. Distillation strips a lot away from the raw ferment of the sugar cane juice or molasses and so the aging looks to create a more complex product from the basic distillate. I understand Lorena uses a single column still, because it helps to retain congeners (congeners are impurities produced during fermentation. Congeners are responsible for most of the taste, aroma, and colour of alcoholic beverages - wikipedia) and other flavours.
All sorts of factors affect the starting point, the sugar cane variety, the yeast used in fermentation, the type of still etc. and this is a whole subject in itself - look at the links below if you're interested. The master blender, in this case Ana Lorena Vásquez Ampié (generally known as Lorena Vásquez) only one of three women who hold the top job in a male dominated industry, has the ability to further add character through use of the solera process, which involves the blending of rums of different ages and personalities. Different types of barrel and pre-treatment of the barrel itself allow the skills of the master blender to come to the fore. The barrels in question have held robust bourbon's, delicate sherries and fine Pedro Ximenez wines. The rum also rests in once re-charred white oak. All of these barrels add to the flavour of the rum and the key is in the blending. The rum I've got in front of me is the product of a blend of rum aged between 6 and 23 years old.
On a slightly related note, since Diageo signed a 3 year worldwide distribution deal with Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala last year (1st April 2008) - the bottle label now tells me more about the age of the product than it might have before. Previously the label might have left you feeling that the rum is entirely 23 years old, rather than a blend with components that are that old - you still have to look for the age statement in small print on the reverse of the bottle though. It's a little more truthful perhaps and something to watch out for as the practice is not uncommon with other brands. If the sales prove to be as Diageo hope they will, they will take a 50% equity stake in the company. I've visited the Diageo website and popped Zacapa into the search box - nothing comes back. Strange really, perhaps its a secret? Fortunately, I'm a man with insider knowledge - I've met Lynnette Marrero, the Diageo Rum Ambassador for Zacapa, Lynnette works for Diageo and is a pretty interesting person. I was glad I attended her piece on the History of the Rum Cocktail at Rum Renaissance. I understand Lynnette is heading the UK for RumFest, so I'll hopefully get a chance to catch up then.
The presentation is really rather attractive and links to the Mayan heritage of Guatemala with the Petate Band, a hand woven adornment to the bottle. A royal Mayan symbol of the unity of time and space - fitting really with the aging process and the location so high in the mountains.
The product has done extremely well over the years with a series of awards, so I'm not alone in thinking that this is a really rather special product. So will it become my new day to day favourite? Yes and no. Given the opportunity to drink it - I most certainly will. But my problem is the cost. I can get two bottles of Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva for the cost of one of the Zacapa. The Diplomatico is a fine drink as well - a little sweeter and easier, but not as complex, it's the sort of one that you could easily find that you and your friends have polished off the bottle in an evening. If I did that with the Zacapa, I would have had a great night, but my wallet would feel the ouch!
So where can you get it in the UK? Looking online at my normal sources I find that The Whisky Exchange has it for £48.49, it's on the Drink Finder website for £49.50, Drinks Direct don't stock it (amazingly) and Drink Shop has it for a rather high £56.90. Gerry's in Soho can sell you a bottle for £48.95 (according to their website it did retail for £65) and my personal favourite The Vintage House will sell you a bottle for £49.50. So the sub £50 mark is common and although it's a fine rum, it's still pretty expensive for anything other than special occassions. If you're feeling flush, you should look it up - all good rum bars will hold it.
Related information you might find interesting:
http://www.ronesdeguatemala.com/eng/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala
http://singlemindedwomen.com/2009/03/lorena-vasquez-zacapa/ - the master blender of Ron Zacapa
http://www.artofdrink.com/2006/10/rum-distillation-process.php - one of several guides out there on the web, but this is a good balance of fact and brevity.
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The Booze Cabinet 
