Ron Zacapa Etiqueta Negra

Etiqueta Negra is the black-label Zacapa from Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala, carrying the brand's signature smoothness and an older, rounder character than the standard release. Like all Zacapa it is made from cane honey, the miel de cana base rather than molasses, and assembled by solera in the highlands, so any number on a Zacapa label marks the oldest component rather than the rum's age.

Column distilled and married in mixed casks at altitude, it shows oak, tropical fruit and toffee on the nose, a palate of oak, vanilla, dark chocolate and caramel, and a finish drifting into coffee and mocha. The wood comes through more clearly here than on the everyday bottling, but it stays firmly in sweet territory, as Zacapa always does. The honest pitch is a very round, caramel-and-chocolate sipper for relaxed evenings and for sharing with anyone who favours a sweeter rum.