AGED RUM ABOVE THE CLOUDS
Guatemala is a country that is home to breathtaking landscapes! Located between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, this strip of land of just over 200 kms, is essentially made up of vertiginous mountains and a heavenly coastline. Guatemala is also known to have sheltered the Maya civilization, this rich people who lived between 2600 and 1500 BC There are today many vestiges to testify to the greatness of this time, including the famous temple of the great Jaguar of the city of Tikal.
The Indians from Guatemala had been designing fruit-based alcohols for a very long time, but rum only appeared much later. It appeared in Guatemala at the beginning of the 20th century with the development of sugar cane cultivation and thanks to Spanish know-how. Guatemalan rums are the only ones with Martinican rums to have their own AOC and therefore to respect precise specifications. This is based on the geographical delimitation of course, but also on the soils, the varieties of sugar cane, the process of extracting the cane juice, the fermentation, the distillation and finally the climatic conditions in which aging under the Solera system.
Zacapa rum was created in 1976 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the eponymous city Zacapa. The secret of the excellence of Zacapa rums begins with the careful selection of the best varieties of sugar cane. The high quality of the raw materials allows a remarkable depth of aromas and flavors of Zacapa rums.
The perfection and unique characteristics of these rums come from their Guatemalan identity. The production area of the Rum of Guatemala AOC is located on the southern coast of Guatemala, in the departments of Retalhuleu and Suchitepéquez, in the heart of the sugar cane production area which has a total of 3,252 hectares. This region benefits from an ideal climate and fertile volcanic soils rich in minerals, which are particularly suitable for the cultivation of sugar cane. Soils, called vertisol, are very rare since they represent only 2% of the earth's surface. These rich in clay have the particularity of swelling or deflating depending on their water content. This type of soil favors the growth of sugar cane.
Guatemalan rums are made from sugar cane, and more precisely from cane juice obtained from the plant. This liquid, similar to syrup, is deliciously sweet and has a very pleasant taste. This succulent cane juice is obtained from the press of the sugar cane when it reaches its maturity. Once pressed, this juice is filtered to remove all impurities from the sugar cane. Finally, the juice is heated in order to eliminate excess water and concentrate its sugars. Only 3% of rums in the world are made with pure sugar cane juice!
Zacapa also uses yeast extracted from pineapple during the fermentation process, which gives an exquisite taste to the fermented juice. The distillation is then carried out in a single copper column. Once distilled, the rum is transported "above the clouds", at an altitude of 2300 meters, where the cool climate helps shape the unique taste identity of Zacapa rums.
Following the distillation of sugar cane juice in the country's large distillery, which is located by the sea, the white alcohol obtained is then transported to the mountains at an altitude of 2,300 meters, where the climate is more cool and damp. This localization allows Guatemalan rums to shape their unique taste identity. Indeed, the fresh mountain air allows the rums to age delicately while developing deep aromas and rich flavors. Thus, it is under these conditions that the unique aging process of the Solera system takes place.
Zacapa uses the Solera method for aging most of its rums. It gives it all the complexity and taste that the cellar mistress wishes to obtain.
The Solera method originated in Spain and was used for aging sherry. It comes in the form of a pyramid of 3, 4, 5 and up to 8 levels of different barrels which are stacked over the years. It is the lower barrels containing the oldest rums that will be used for bottling. These are filled as they evaporate by drawing off the barrel located above it. The action is repeated for each row of barrels up to the one above which therefore contains the youngest rum. The Solera is thus based on a mixture of ages, but also on an assembly of different types of barrels. Indeed, the pyramid is made up of barrels that previously contained bourbon, Pedro Ximenez wine or Sherry Oloroso. There are also white oak barrels which were initially burnt and which bring specific aromas of caramel, vanilla, almond or even toasted brioche. As you will have understood, Solera's unique system makes it possible to produce rums with unique complexity and profile.
All Zacapa rums have the common point of being complex, generous and deep.
Zapaca 23 Solera rum: This blended rum is aged using the “Solera” method. So don't expect a 23-year-old rum, but rather a blend of rums between 6 and 23 years old that is made in three types of barrels (whisky and sherry). This method of aging allows a very particular development of perfumes. The nose is sweet, between caramel and cocoa with a vanilla touch.
Elected 5 times in a row as the best rum in the world during the rum festival, this rum, aged in a solera between 6 and 23 years old, combines delicacy and aromatic complexity thanks to its fruity and sweet notes. Its gourmet side will remind you of dried fruit with a hint of vanilla aroma. Its touch of sweetness also comes from the taste of caramel and honey, all on a background of oak notes. Few rums manage to marry so subtly so many flavors while keeping a long and diffuse sweetness.
Zacapa Edicion Negra Rum: This Guatemalan rum is particularly appreciated by amateurs. Edicion Negra designates an amber rum with 43% alcohol, which offers an explosion of flavors in the mouth: notes of chocolate and dried fruits accompany a very pleasant smoky taste. This is a rum best sipped on its own to appreciate all of its nuances. The bottle of this rum is also remarkable, as it is adorned with a petate, a traditional Guatemalan band.
Rum Zacapa XO : The top of the range, Zacapa XO is nicknamed "The cognac of rums": it is distilled in Guatemala and displays 40% alcohol. Zacapa XO rum is offered in an elegant decanter that contains a blend of eaux-de-vie aged 6 to 25 years, aged using the Solera method, made up of Pedro Ximenez-type sherry casks, bourbon and cognac. At the tasting, we find a harmonious whole with a round taste as well as surprising notes of almond and vanilla. Zacapa XO is even better if left to age for a few years in the bottle. It is a high-level rum that has what it takes to make any rum lover travel.
Zacapa Royal rum: This is the latest addition to the Zacapa range, a rum distilled to extract the quintessence of rum. This very high-end version of Zacapa rum offers a silky and sophisticated profile with marked notes of citrus and caramel. In order to develop Zacapa Royal rum, Lorena Vasquez, the master distiller of the Zacapa house, carefully selects the rarest and most mature rums. Then after a long and complex aging process Lorena completes their maturation in very rare oak barrels exclusively made from wood from four French forests formerly owned by the King of France and known as “Le Bois du Roy”. Bois du Roy is the name given to the four French forests that give the wood used to make the barrels in which Zacapa Royal rum is aged. Made up of the forests of Allier, Nevers, Vosges and Tronçais, this wood has been protected since the 13th century, when its exploitation was subject to severe restrictions imposed by the King. Since that time barrels have been produced in very limited quantities and are exclusively reserved for the most remarkable vintages.
