If it were your 50th birthday, how would you celebrate? Well, the folks at Zacapa are paying tribute to this milestone by releasing its first limited-edition innovation outside the brand’s core North American portfolio. But, since its bottled to celebrate 5 decades, it’s so much more than that.
Zacapa 50th Anniversary Edition
This ultra-premium rum brand was founded in Guatemala in 1976. To mark its 50th anniversary, Zacapa Master Blender Lorena Vásquez created this rum aged between 8 and 24 years. But that’s not all. It was matured using barrels charred with cacao and Cobán chili peels. It was then rested in oak vats for several months before bottling. Like all of Zacapa’s rums, it’s matured using the Solera System, which features casks that previously held American whiskeys, sherries, and Pedro Ximénez wines, along with re-charred American oak barrels.
The result is a multi-layered, complex rum that opens with notes of toasted vanilla beans, dried fruit, and caramelized sugar. Sipping it reveals notes of oaky wood, sticky toffee pudding, baking spices, cacao, and chili peppers. The finish is long and warm, ending with a mix of toasted oak and baking spices. A rum this exceptional deserves to be sipped neat or on the rocks on a chilly evening.
“I’ve spent decades working with Zacapa’s aging process, and I’m still interested in how far we can push it,” Lorena Vásquez, Zacapa’s Master Blender, says.
“For the 50th Anniversary Edition, I drew inspiration from ancient ceremonial celebrations in what is now Guatemala, where beverages made with cacao and chili were traditionally enjoyed as part of these gatherings. We wanted to honor that heritage while exploring a new expression of Zacapa through maturation, experimenting with barrels charred with cacao and Cobán chili peels.”
Beyond a simple commemorative bottle, this release features Zacapa’s signature petate band, redesigned with a new colorful design created specifically for the milestone event.
Where can I buy it?
Sadly, Zacapa 50th Anniversary Edition isn’t available everywhere. This limited-edition expression is available now in select markets and whiskey retailers in New York State, California, Texas, and Florida for the suggested retail price of $49.99 for a 750ml bottle.
