THIS EDITION of Rum Journal travels to the western border of the Caribbean basin, and a rather interesting rum from Costa Rica.

This column has featured a number of high-quality rums from Central America – from Guatemala’s Zacapa to Nicaragua’s Flor de Caña, and it’s clear that the region remains one of the centres for quality rum production in the world.

And while Guatemala, Nicaragua and, to a lesser extent, Panama, dominate the region’s production, Costa Rica, too, is part of that picture, led by its Ron Centenario.

Centenario is made using sugar cane grown locally in the country’s rich, volcanic soil, and aged in oak barrels.

For this tasting, we tried Centenario 20, which contains a blend of rums, some of which are as old as 20 years.

Centenario 20 has a robust aroma of molasses, caramel and spice. Its flavour includes hints of caramel, brown sugar and toffee, and is marked by the sweetness typically associated with Central American rums.

The finish is rich and velvety, with a bit of spice.

The verdict? Extremely good. Centenario has a flavour that is far more complex than many of its neighbours, accompanied by a healthy dose of bravado.

— CJ