Zacapa 23 Solera Gran Res 700

Zacapa is not made from molasses. The first press of sugar cane is turned into a virgin sugar cane honey, which is fermented with a yeast strain derived from pineapple. The 23 is a solera blend, with rums of different ages passing through a series of selected casks, and the blend runs from roughly 6 to 23 years old rather than being a straight 23 year old. The ageing takes place at 2,300 metres above sea level in Quetzaltenango, where the altitude slows the process and lets the rum take on the character of each barrel. Master blender Lorena Vásquez oversees production.

In the glass it shows spice, caramel and dried pineapple. It is sweet and rich enough to drink without a mixer, either neat or over one large cube of ice. The same weight suits an Old Fashioned built with rum instead of whiskey.