Well, this is a bit embarrassing. Was doing some isolation cleaning up yesterday and came across an empty half-bottle of Palo Cortado sherry, amongst full bottles on the kitchen bench. So of course, I tossed it in the rubbish. Collected. Gone. Forgotten. 

Today, I sit down to do the next Kenfessions and remember why I kept the empty – to remind me which Bodega made it, plus details. Whoops. So all I can tell you now is that it was a palo cortado. 

This, the Por Larranaga Robustos de Larranaga. 2007 Regional Release Asia Pacific. EMA Oct 07, is also a cigar we looked at recently. A post on the forum recently revealed just how extensive the number of Robustos were, so we are not going to get through them all for our Robusto Rumble, but we are doing our best (and yes, there is a valid argument that repeating cigars is not quite our best but it is what it is). A couple to go. But I thought it worth doing this latest cigar again, because of the huge difference between the two, same box and just a few weeks apart. 

I absolutely loved the one a few weeks back – 96 with a bullet. This time, a good cigar (if one may elevate the bottom line, 90), but hardly the superstar that was its predecessor. 

A pale Colorado wrapper in reasonable condition. A cool draw, all fine. Opened with rich and toasty notes. Lots of nutty characters. Some of that PL caramel and cream. Early, this was very promising. Some lovely nougat notes emerging. It worked a treat with both drinks (we’ll get there). Unfortunately, after such a stellar start, it faded. Not bad, but the entire experience simply became a lot more pedestrian. 90. 

I checked my notes for the previous one. A very similar start. The only real difference was that the former got better and better while this one just faded away. Such is life. 

Drinks? Last time, the fabulous Beluga Vodka and a local port. This time, the unknown palo cortado and the top of the line Zacapa, the Royal. 

The sherry was deliciously complex and nutty. Orange rind notes. Great length. A terrific sherry and I loved it. A good match for the cigar but not the match the brilliant Zacapa made. 

This was a bottle which Rob kindly left at my place (not sure that would have happened had he known of the impending isolation, though I am trying to leave a tiny bit in the bottle for when this is all over – trying but not very successfully, and as he doesn’t ever read these, he’ll never know). Zacapa is the rum which has convinced many around the globe that there is more to rum than coke, pirates and beach parties. Rum can be a quality spirit. 

The distillery’s full name is Ron Zacapa Centenario (if I may plagiarise myself from Quill and Pad), but everyone calls it Zacapa. It has been named as one of the world’s ‘Top 100 Most Valuable Luxury Brands’. In 2018, theirs was ranked as the world’s leading ultra-premium rum and it was the first rum to be named to the International Rum Festival’s Hall of Fame. Zacapa is a town in eastern Guatemala and the company was established in 1976 to celebrate the centenary of that very town. Guatemala is hardly the first place one thinks of when looking for great spirits, but Zacapa has established itself as one of the world’s best rum producers. 

After distillation in the lowlands of Guatemala, where the fertile volcanic soils are ideal for sugarcane (they use what they term, ‘sugar cane honey’, rather than the traditional molasses – this is basically filtered and evaporated sugar cane juice, which is thicker and stays fresh longer than pure juice, but doesn't go through as much of a refining process as molasses), the rum is literally taken to the clouds, 2,300 metres above sea level, to their maturing facility. It is known as ‘the House above the Clouds’ and is one of the highest spirit ageing facilities in the world. The average temperature is 58 F to 62 F, and at this height, there is far less variation than at other elevations, to the benefit of the maturing rum. 

Zacapa use what is known as the ‘Sistema Solera’ for maturation, which is an adaptation of the traditional process of aging Spanish sherry. The barrels have previously held American whiskey or Spanish sherries, not least the wonderfully decadent Pedro Ximenez. Of course, the art of blending the contents of these barrels remains crucial. 

Their most famous rum is the iconic ‘Zacapa 23’. There was a time when apparently it was based on rums of 23 years or more, but now the range is six to 23 years. Personally, I can see that by using ‘23’ on the label, many consumers might be confused and even misled. For me, this rum is good enough not to need any sleight of hand. I'd be looking to rename it to remove any possible confusion. Of course, Zacapa is far from the only distillery in the world where labelling might confuse consumers. 

Their brilliant ‘XO’ is a blend of rums aged between six and 25 years – no confusion there. 

The ‘23’ has the immediately distinctive petate weaving around each bottle – a handwoven band from dried palm leaves. Petate weaving is a Mayan tradition which dates back to 1400 BC and was once reserved for royalty. This tradition, for Zacapa, began in 2000. The women weaving these bands buy the materials themselves but the income they can earn is twice the local average. Many are widows from the more than three decades of armed conflict which afflicted Guatemala up until the mid-90s. The bands are also found on the less often seen Zacapa Edition Negra. 

Zacapa’s two-star products are the ‘23’ and the ‘XO’, both of which I love. But they are noticeably different. The people at Zacapa talk about their rums being seen as luxury premium spirits, rather than specifically rum. They want someone to be as comfortable with their rums as they might be with a great malt or top Cognac. Personally, I think rum is headed that way. It will not be long before people think of the best rums alongside those other premium spirits (and the huge benefit rum lovers have is that until that happens, top rums are a bargain compared with those other spirits), although that does not mean they can’t be recognisably rum.

For me, the ‘23’ is most obviously a rum and no one is going to think otherwise. The ‘XO’, however, is much more elegant and refined and I've often served it to friends, blind, and they have struggled to pick it as a rum. Prices in Australia are A$100 and A$200 respectively, though they seem to vary considerably. Both of these rums are what should be termed sipping rums. Include ice to the extent of personal preference, but I really cannot think of anything else which improves the rum. A total waste to use these rums for rum and cokes and cocktails. That said, if someone were making a premium cocktail where a richly flavoured rum was needed, the ‘23’ would work. 

‘23’ is the richer of the two and noticeably so. Like all Zacapa rums, first pressings of the sugarcane only. A dark teak colour. This is an intense rum with notes of raisins, caramel, dried fruits, dark coffee, butterscotch, vanilla, nuts and spices, notably cinnamon and nutmeg. Excellent length and a finely balanced rum. Some will note the sweetness but others find this appealing. For me, balance is the key. 

The XO is slightly paler and a more refined style of rum in every sense. Again, there are nuts and caramel with oak, vanilla, almonds, coffee, mild chocolate, stonefruit, ginger, spices and hints of dried fruits. There are more citrus notes to be found here, orange blossoms, and a lovely honeycomb character. This is elegant and lingering, but it remains intense right throughout. Very finely balanced. For me, this is a go-to rum, if ever there was one. If you have any friends who may blaspheme and suggest that rum cannot be an elegant and intriguing spirit that deserves to sit alongside any premium spirit in the world, serve them a glass of this over a single ice-cube. 

The new addition to the range is their piece de resistance. Their ‘Royal Solera Gran Reserva Especial’ (A$400). Beautifully presented, this is a blend of rums aged from eight to thirty years in a mix of American whiskey casks, charred and re-charred, as well as former sherry casks and Cognac casks. They also use the very rare French oak casks sourced exclusively Le Bois du Roy, which come from four forests previously owned by royalty. Harvesting these forests has been restricted since the 13th century. 

Again, a rum which demands to be sipped solo, with just an ice-cube, if that is your preference. Look for flavours of almonds, caramel, butterscotch, the finest Valrhona chocolate, stonefruits, honey and more. It is worth noting that the alcohol level here is slightly higher than is usual for Zacapa, at 45%. This is a rum which is extremely limited so you may need to search widely for it. The search will be more than rewarding.

And, with apols for the seemingly endless digression, it was this last rum which worked so brilliantly with the Por L Robusto de L. A cracking match. I have no doubt it would match many other fine cigars as well.

KBG