SUGAR cane, not grapes, is the raw material of liquor in the tropics. One rum is so fine and so exquisitely crafted it is considered the aged wine of aged rums, and the only after-dinner liquor for any palate, discriminating or otherwise.
Ron Zacapa, aged 15, 23 or 25 years in oak barrels, distilled from molasses carted from the cane fields of the Guatemalan coasts to the mountainside distillery, is nothing like younger, mass-produced rums, and is a champion even among its own class of aristocratic liquors. It is meant to be sipped without ice. Its flavor is smooth, almost sweet, and the alcohol is not overbearing – it’s hardly noticeable.
Ron Zacapa is newly available in Costa Rica at supermarkets, liquor stores, hotels and restaurants. The recommended retail price for the premium XO (700 ml), aged 25 years, is ¢43,740 ($90); the 23-year-old rum (750 ml) costs ¢17,100 ($35); and the 17-year-old rum (750 ml) costs ¢11,220 ($23).
