News

Rum Journal: The Science and Art Behind Guatemala’s Ron Zacapa

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - July 2, 2012 - 11:28 pm

Above: Lorena Vasquez

Making Guatemala’s Ron Zacapa 23 is as much a science as an art.

And its story starts, naturally, with chemistry.

Lorena Vasquez always had a gift for identifying aromas and flavours, even as a child. As she grew up, she studied pharmaceutical chemistry, ultimately specializing in sensory analysis and food technology.

Now, she is the master blender of Ron Zacapa.

Zacapa 23 uses virgin honey as a raw material, obtained from a concentrate of sugar cane juice. It is then fermented with a proprietary yeast extracted from pineapple.

High in the mountains of Guatemala (2,300 metres above sea level), it is then put to bed, with its own solera aging system in American white oak barrels that previously housed American whiskies.

The second stage of the aging prices involves American white oaks barrels with a deep burn, until Zacapa is aged in used sherry casks.

The fourth and final stage involves barrels that previously aged Pedro Ximenez wines. (There is even a fifth stage for the ultra-luxury Zacapa XO, which occurs in French oak cognac barrels.

“This whole process is unique to Zacapa,” she says.

And each bottle is its own piece of artwork — with its “petate” palm band, each of which is individually hand-woven by women from rural communities in Guatemala.

And it’s in large part thanks to Vasquez, who has worked in the rum industry for the past 28 years.

“It’s not a job,” she tells Rum Journal. “It’s really my passion. I enjoy the complexity of rum production, and sharing it with people around the world.”

***

For this Rum Journal, we leave the tasting to Vasquez:

“It’s a complex, yet sophisticated and friendly rum, with hints of vanilla, toasted wood, dried fruits, chocolate and tropical fruits,” she says. “Truly of great complexity.”

— CJ

Popular Posts antigua long bay

25 Perfect Caribbean Beaches to Add to Your Summer Bucket List

There’s nothing like a Caribbean beach in summer. The crowds thin out, the winds relax, and the islands start breathing in a different way. The beaches you thought you knew feel new again— stretches of sand once packed with winter […]


The 15 Best Hotels in Trinidad and Tobago, From Hidden Eco-Retreats to Luxury Towers

trinidad and tobago hotels where to stay

From Port of Spain to Tobago’s quiet coasts, these are the places to check in now No two Caribbean islands are quite like Trinidad and Tobago—and no two hotels here feel the same. This is a destination of contrast: Carnival […]


This Marriott All-Inclusive Resort Is Coming to Barbados —  And You Can Book It With Points

new brand for the caribbean

Barbados has long been a haven for adults in search of refinement — the kind of place where luxury and culture blend in quiet, confident harmony. Now, that ethos is becoming the foundation of a new resort concept that aims […]


Related Posts eminente

Rum Journal: LVMH’s Newest Caribbean Rum 

It’s been one of the most successful rum releases of the last decade: Eminente, the Cuban brand that has instantly found itself in the pantheon of the best rums on the global market.  While the premium aged rum has launched […]


How to Spend a Week in St. Barts Tasting the Caribbean’s Best Rums 

rosewood le

Tastings of the world’s rarest rums. Cocktail parties on the beach. Spectacular villas. Up-close meetings with the Caribbean’s premier rum-makers. Michelin-level gastronomy.  There’s nothing quite like the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth, the competition and festival that celebrates the very […]


Rum Journal: A Legendary Rum Bar in Athens, Greece, Baba Au Rhum

baba au rhum

We’ve written often in these pages of the joy of the Rum Bar, a bar that celebrates the best of Caribbean rum-making with a diverse, robust selection of rums from across the region.  For years, such bars were few and […]