Zacapa 25 yr

[Bill Poster]

I have to say the price of the 25 yr does seem slightly ridiculous compared to the 23yr . Am I missing something?

[VoodooDog]

I have to say the price of the 25 yr does seem slightly ridiculous compared to the 23yr . Am I missing something?

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I'll start of by saying I've never even seen the 25yr, but the 23 is my favorite... so far.

I'm posting to relate a *potentially* similar experience with tequila. Patron makes 2 blanco tequilas, "silver" and "platinum". Silver is VERY good and runs about 40 bucks. Platinum runs about 200 bucks. Is the platinum 5 times better? No. Is the platinum worth it? Yes. Do I own any platinum? Not yet. I mean, it's 200 bucks! That buys a lot of the 23yr that I like better than either of the tequilas. But it is just a matter of time before I do buy it. It's hard to explain. I'll let the fine folks over at Pocotequila say it for me.

"Gran Patrón Platinum is a completely over-hyped, completely over-priced, ostentatious product brought to us by those snooty Hollywood types over at St. Maarten Spirits with the unmitigated gall to put a 200 dollar price tag on a bottle of tequila blanco. Having said that, Man, is this stuff good! Often things don't quite live up to the hype and leave you feeling like you didn't get what you paid for. Like spending 200 bucks for a Hotel room that turns out to be no better than the Motel 6 down the street or 200 bucks for a round of golf at a premier facility that's in no better condition than your muni back home. But occasionally, there are things in this old world that give you the opportunity to pay more and feel like you treated yourself. You might walk away thinking, "I can't do that everyday but it sure felt good". Gran Patrón Platinum is one of those things. Sure, some hard core agave enthusiasts will balk at the "Triple Distillation" as a move away from pure flavor but I think you have to appreciate these things for what they are and Gran Patrón just might be the smoothest blanco I've tried. Is it worth 200 bucks? Probably not but a lot of that cost is in the etched crystal decanter and maple wood box. However this is a great tequila for special occasions and after a taste you do feel like you were treated to something special. Tim Carter brought over a bottle of Gran Patrón not long after it was introduced around the first of the year, 2005. We tried several other tequilas that night but it was hard not to keep holding your empty glass toward the Gran Patrón. My wife absolutely loved the Platinum and I couldn't help but think, "Oh great Tim, bring over a Mercedes for her to drive next time so she can tell me we have to go out and get one". After all we are now the proud owners of a bottle of Gran Patrón Platinum."

[Ed Hamilton]

The Zacapa 25 year old rum is a little sweeter than the 23 and unless you want to brag about serving an older rum, I'd stick with the 23. There are a couple of reasons the 25 year old rum is more expensive. First, there is less of it, and second it takes longer to make. Sounds simple but the costs of distributing small quantities of spirits is much more expensive.

[Jason Perlow]

It also comes in a really nice decanter, which a good deal of that extra price comes from.

[Bill Poster]

I guess you could say they have some bottle..

*gets coat*

[Carolyn Tillie]

Not having tasted the 23-year old, I picked up two bottles of the 25 in a duty-free shop en route home from Panama and couldn't be happier. The 25-year old is rich and elegant, with notes of molasses, dark caramel, and coffee. Personally, I'm thrilled and now knowing that I may be travelling through this particular shop again in the future, won't hesitate to acquire more bottles (@ $85 a pop!)

[sadistick]

Man o Man...I wish they sold this rum at the LCBO ... Guess I gotta stick with the El Dorado for now.

[scheer]

How does this go with the fact that you will loose approx 5% evaporation / angels share per year? is there anything left in the barrel than?

[Ed Hamilton]

How does this go with the fact that you will loose approx 5% evaporation / angels share per year? is there anything left in the barrel than?

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Zacapa is aged in a very cool warehouse at about 6000 feet elevation so the evaporation is much less than it would be at sea level in the tropics.

[LunaSea]

Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 y/o remains my favorite rum without paying over $50. But Pyrat Cask 1623 makes me put away all other rums until the very last drop has been savored.

I'll have to look for the Zacapa 25 y/o and give it a try. At $200/bottle it's still $40 cheaper than Pyrat Cask 1623 in Miami.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'll have to look for the Zacapa 25 y/o and give it a try. At $200/bottle it's still $40 cheaper than Pyrat Cask 1623 in Miami.

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Honestly, the only reason I bought it was because through one of the duty-free shops in Central America (Nicaragua), it was only $85.00!

(I bought two at that price and am jazzed that I'll be heading back that way at the end of August!)

[scheer]

How does this go with the fact that you will loose approx 5% evaporation / angels share per year? is there anything left in the barrel than?

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Zacapa is aged in a very cool warehouse at about 6000 feet elevation so the evaporation is much less than it would be at sea level in the tropics.

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Ed do you know if its really 23 yrs old, or do they add up 3 + 5 + 6 + etc. to come to 23

[scheer]

How does this go with the fact that you will loose approx 5% evaporation / angels share per year? is there anything left in the barrel than?

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Zacapa is aged in a very cool warehouse at about 6000 feet elevation so the evaporation is much less than it would be at sea level in the tropics.

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Ed do you know if its really 23 yrs old, or do they add up 3 + 5 + 6 + etc. to come to 23

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And if one looks at the selling price its just to good to be true?

[eje]

On their website they say, "The age statement of this rum represents the average age of the rums in the blend."

[Bill Poster]

Zacapa is a truly great rum, but i always had the gut feeling the taste was 'manipulated'. After reading the above, how does the consumer trust they are drinking what the product attests it is?

An interesting article i found

http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:K4tqBs...uk&ct=clnk&cd=1

Edited August 2, 2006 by Bill Poster (log)