Famille Ricci Zodiac Lion 2024

Famille Ricci's Zodiac Lion is a single cask Nicaraguan from Compania Licorera, the distillery behind Flor de Caña, bottled without added sugar at a hefty 61.5% cask strength. Aged seventeen years and built on a column still molasses spirit, it carries an intriguing twist: a finish in a Hampden cask, bringing a thread of Jamaican ester funk into an otherwise smooth Nicaraguan base.

The result is rich and rounded rather than rough. The nose leans into coconut, chocolate and caramel with a soft, round quality, the palate offers caramel, dark chocolate and a fruity, woody depth, and the finish carries wood, coconut, chocolate and warmth. Tasters note the toasted, gourmand cacao character and a clear Jamaican influence from the Hampden finish, which adds a funky edge some find assertive. Because Ricci leaves it unsweetened, the sweetness is barrel born, a deep, chocolate forward Nicaragua with a funky finishing trick for drinkers ready for full proof.