Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Year Old 2005 / Federico Minelli

An rare edition of the multi-award winning 23 year old Ron Zacapa. It dates from some time between the new bottle shape being introduced (forgoing the full petate covering in favour of a simple band around the middle), and the switch from a 23 year old age-statement to a solera matured blend of 6 to 23 year old rums. The expression is matured in charred sherry wood casks.

The Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala distillery was established in 1914 by five brothers; Venancio, Andrés, Felipe, Jesús and Alejandro Botran. Nowadays it is the largest distillery in Guatemala, producing both the Botran brand after its eponymous founders, and the globally recognised Ron Zacapa. The distillery operates a two-column stainless steel still, and uses a wash made from sugarcane “honey.” This is the product of the first stage in molasses production, which produces a syrup by boiling off the water from freshly pressed cane juice. This provides a lighter distillate than traditional molasses.

This is a particular rare example of a private bottling. It was produced for Federico Minelli and features an engraving on the rear of the glass.