Ron Zacapa Centenario XO (1. Edition)

Ron Zacapa Centenario XO 1. Edition is a Guatemalan ron from Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala, the original release of the brand's XO tier. Made from cane honey rather than molasses and built using the high altitude solera method, the 25 on the label points to its oldest components, not a flat age, and this edition takes the standard XO and rests it a further two years in French cognac casks.

The Zacapa style is all about smooth, dessert sweetness, and this bottling is openly sweetened: raisin, dark fruit and a cognac note on the nose, then oak, sweetness, coffee and a rounded mouthfeel, closing on oak, more sweetness, cognac and wood. The extra cognac cask time adds a layer of dried fruit and polished oak over the honeyed solera base, making for a plush, after dinner pour at 40%. The sweetness is part of the appeal rather than a hidden flaw, and this is a rich, easy sipper for those who like the indulgent end of Spanish style rum.