Ron Zacapa Centenario XO Premio Platino

Very good rum, but since this brand has others good aged bottles I was expecting more from this in particular, however, this is a good choice for straight up rum

At US$120 a bottle, this rum is on the steep end price wise. But it is so worth it. Dark golden brown colour invites you to taste it. Hints of caramel and oak. Light burn going down with fruity aftertaste. One of my top ten sipping rums.

Grows a lot after sitting in the glass for 10-15 minuts.
At first sip I found it rather disappointing but it opens up.

Nose: I find caramalised banana, nuts and toffee
Taste: I find caramel, oak, roasted nuts. Alt of sweetness, very soft yet a bit of dryness in the end?

A decent rum, but somehow I was still not totally excited.. I expected more.

Nose: bit woody, full alcohol, little caramel
Taste: toffee/caramel, bit of chocolate and very smooth aftertaste

Now, I have the very expensive Zacapa Platino in the glas. I'm excited to taste this stuff.

The nose is a little bit shy, less sweet than the current XO more bright and with more Bourbon wood.
I can smell mandarine, vanilla and herbs, because there is less caramel. It reminds me of Ron Botran 1983. Then I got some melon, with sweet notes of sugar syrup and the typical herbs.
This nose is less interesting for me, the new XO has much more caramel. The Platino goes more in the direction of Ron Botran.

The taste starts with mandarine and vanilla, turns sweet with aromas of sugar syrup like Monin.
Then I get herbs and wood at the end of initial taste. This is a huge difference to the current XO.
The middle has more of mandarine, melon, vanilla and sugar syrup with herbs and some wood at the end. The new XO is more heavy with stronger aromas of wood.
The finish is very mild, some spice there. Then I get again the mandarine, sugar syrup, some herbs and melon.

This is not what I have expected overall. There is also no comparison to Anniversario 30. Maybe this is a young XO where the experiment have started. But this is not comparable to Zacapa XO of the current time. The sweetness is not complex, the aromas are good but not concentrated or old. There is a lack of complexity. I would rate this one with 84 points.
We don't need to talk about the price for 600€.

Nose: mandarine, vanilla, woood, herbs, some caramel
Taste: mandarine, vanilla, sugar syrup, herbs, wood
Middle: mandarine, melon, vanilla, sugar syrup, herbs, wood
Finish: some spice, mandarine with sugar syrup and some herbs, melon

Sweetness: 3.5/5
Fruits: 3/5
Spice: 1/5
Mildness: 4/5
Complexity: 2/5
Value (700€): 1/5

I had this as I was curious and had it after an amazing beef wellngton in London. It was suprise to me and I started to enjoy good and better rum from there on..

If you like a sweet treat after your meals, this is the go-to rum. In nose: vanilla, caramel, and some hints of oak. In mouth: super smooth (almost no alcohol feeling), caramel, banana, and dried fruits. Aftertaste: woody and sweet.
Personally, I found it almost too sweet for my taste in rums. However, it is well worth to have a bottle at hand.

I was dining at a pretty high end establishment which happened to have an extensive list of rums on their menu. This one jumped out at me, it was the highest price on the list soon thought I would splurge. It was a nice full flavored rum, a bit of a bourbon flavor but not overwhelming. Not sure it was much better than the other rims I have tried for half the price, but it was a good experience to order the top shelf stuff.

intense. Ronseal smell. Slightly chemically taste. Tastes similar to 23 solera and a bit better but not good enough to buy.

I didn't have any left to try with ginger beer so don't know if that would redeem this or not.

Very glad I only bought a sample and not a whole bottle.