Ron Zacapa La Armonia The Harmony Cask - Blog post by Thomas Heie Nielsen

You don't have to be a rum geek to know about the Ron Zacapa brand. You only need to have tasted a handful of rums before you have come across and tasted the world-famous and much-loved Ron Zacapa 23. Our rum blogger Thomas Heie Nielsen tastes the latest release from Ron Zacapa

Pos t by Thomas Heie Nielsen

Ron Zacapa La Armonia The Harmony Cask is the third Limited Edition release in Ron Zacapa's Heavenly Cask Collection. The first two releases are La Dorma The Taming Cask and El Alma The Soul Cask.

The Zacapa brand was created in 1976 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town of Zacapa in Guatemala. The town is located just over 100 km from Guatemala City. The name Zacapa comes from Nahuatl (Aztec) meaning "by the river of grass". The vast majority of rum is made from molasses. At Zacapa, the pure sugar cane juice is used and the first press is used. This makes the rum sweeter, softer and light in its impression. They use a yeast strain derived from pineapple. This gives a fruity and slightly sweet aroma. The sugar cane has grown in mineral-rich volcanic soil.

After distillation, the rum is taken on a small mountain climb from the lowlands to the top of the valley at 2,300 meters above sea level. Here the rum matures in the cooler and humid climate of the 'House Above the Clouds'. Ron Zacapa uses different casks to mature the rum. American white oak that has previously held American burbon. European oak, previously used for Cognac, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry.

They each have different degrees of toasting, depending on the final characteristics sought for the different rums. This stage of production allows Master Blender Lorena Vásquez - one of the world's few female master blenders - to vary the complexity of the profile she wants in the rum.

The braided band on Zacapa bottles is hand-braided. In 1976, the first Zacapa bottle was completely covered in Petate weave made by women from El Progreso. In 1999, Zacapa took the initiative to support women from El Quiché who were displaced by conflict, creating work opportunities for their traditional Petate weaving craft. Later, other villages from Jocotán were hit hard by drought that destroyed their crops. It was their main source of income. Zacapa helped the community by giving women the opportunity to earn an income. Today, Zacapa has over 700 women who weave the distinctive Zacapa ribbon that gives the Zacapa bottle its unique character.

Petate weaving is traditionally done by hand. Photo Nicolee Drake for Zacapa.

Heavenly Cask Collection.

The collection celebrates four different unique casks. The first was La Doma, followed by El Alma. Each of the Heavenly Cask editions pays homage to the casks used to age the world-famous Zacapa 23 by giving the rum additional finishes in one particular cask to emphasize the flavor that the cask individually creates. La Armonia is perfectly balanced with hints of red berries, pecans and the green Guatemalan countryside. Silky, smooth and with hints of nuts and caramelized berries. Full-bodied and delicious, silky and opulent.

Color:
Beautiful clear deep amber.

Aroma:
The nose is first enveloped by friendly and generous notes of dried fruit including fig and apricot. Then pecans, caramelized red berries, a slight hint of cherry. The whole thing is enveloped by a lovely and creamy Oloroso sherry.

Taste:
In the mouth there are the same notes of dried fruit, nuts and caramelized red berries, some fresh and slightly tart cherries, as well as a piquant tartness and a bit of dried coconut at the end. It is rounded off by a lightly spiced Oloroso touch.

Conclusion.
If you are a Zacapa fan, then this bottle is a must. It's unmissable and should be added to your collection no matter what. It's a gentle and soft rum that everyone can enjoy. Personally, I think it is priced a bit too high compared to what the rum delivers when I look at, taste and compare it to the classic and well-known Zacapa 23.

Relaterede produkter

Ron Zacapa Armonia Heavenly Cask Guatemala Solera Rum 70 cl 40%

EUR 99,75

Ron Zacapa 23 years old El Alma The Soul Cask Guatemala Solera Rum 70 cl 40%

EUR 94,25

Ron Zacapa Ambar 12 years Solera Reserva Guatemala 100 cl Rum 40%

EUR 82,75