Ron Zacapa 23 Solera

This was my start on my adult rum journey and many bottles has passed by. Nowadays I’m not so much into the sweet Spanish styled ron. Instead I’m more into English and French styled rum/rhum. So the rate has going down, down, down.

really one of the best rum i tasted so far. Has a Nice Sweet taste.

Typical Solera style rum that has that hybrid chocolate/whisky taste. It is a bit stronger in alcohol, and the finish is a subdued dark caramel. The XO version is the one to get if you do not like that sharpness.

The rum is honestly not too bad. I would give it maybe a 5-6 but it's impossible to tell what it really is. Too dark to be natural, sugar added no doubt. This might be good if it was a pure rum but for no3. 3, needs improvement

I'm surprised about the significant sherry (also PX) taste in that rum. Usually I drink some whisky and this is similar to some "sherry bomb" whiskies like Glenfarclas etc. Further, this rum is not very sweet, means the sugar doesn't hide parts of the taste from my point of view. I like it!

Expensive, no flavor, à lot of added sugar ... I Was expecting à more punchy rum. This bottles doesn't deserve the expense ... Its easy to drink, no aftertaste, smooth, but offer nothing special. Good rum but doesn't deserve the réputation and the Price.

It is a good rum nevertheless but in my opinion not a memorable one.
I always enjoy drinking it but I cannot say that I find my self craving to taste it after a period of absence as I feel with some other runs.

I had no intentions of ever purchasing the Ron Zacapa 23 due to their numerous marketing strategies that I feel are quite deceptive. After years of Zacapa 23 seeming to come up in every conversation I was having about rum and being told by more people than I can remember that "Ron Zacapa 23 is the best rum in the world!" I finally broke down and purchased 750ml for $64.00. It is possible that the rum in my bottle was a bit off because of the cork. I have no idea how the rum did not spill out of the bottle during transportation. The cork was so loose that when I pulled the strip to remove the foil covering the cork and the neck, the cork came right out of the bottle splashing rum all over my hand. I'm not sure if the cork shrunk over time or it was too small to begin with, but this is something I have never seen before. There was nothing I could do to return it since the seal was broken. At $64 I was pretty upset. After taking the first sip I could only sit there and shake my head while trying to remember some of the people who persuaded me to buy this. My bottle tasted and smelled of little more than syrupy sweet alcohol but it was drinkable. There is very strong competition in this price range and Zacapa 23 doesn't cut it for me. Based on the price, the state of the cork, and the experience I had with this rum, I will never splurge for the XOs, Reserves, or Special Editions from Zacapa as I imagine they are all over-hyped as well.

After reading all the glowing reviews, I bought a bottle of this rum, and I am very disappointed. In the USA, I buy it for $35. The Solera costs $53. I have heard that the current owner of this rum producer has been tampering with the formula, so this may have been a great rum years ago, but no more.

One of the first rums I purchased and enjoyed it at the time, but as my rum horizons have widened, I now find it over-sweet.

There is so much sugar present that it overwhelms just about everything else the rum has to offer.