Ron Zacapa Centenario is a premium rum produced in Guatemala by Rum Creation and Products, a subsidiary of

Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala is a Guatemalan alcohol distillery which produces different kinds of alcohol and which owns different brands. It was created at the beginning of the 20th century by Venancio, Andrés, Felipe, Jesús and Alejandro ...

, and distributed and marketed by Diageo. Zacapa Centenario was created in 1976 to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the foundation of

Zacapa Zacapa () is the departmental capital municipality of Zacapa Department, one of the 22 Departments of Guatemala. It is located approximately from Guatemala City. Sports Football club Deportivo Zacapa competes in Guatemala's top division and p ...

, a town in eastern Guatemala. It was the result of the blending, stabilization and maturing processes of long-aged rums by doctor and chemist named Alejandro Burgaleta. Ron Zacapa is distinctive in that it is aged in a facility at an altitude with natural coolness which avoids evaporation resulting in a usually smooth product.

History

Zacapa is a small town in eastern Guatemala founded in 1876. The rum was named for its 100th anniversary in 1976 and the name Zacapa has meaning "on the river of grass" and it s coming from Aztec (Nahuatl) language. Burgaleta also developed and created the rum Venado, another product of Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala. Early Zacapa bottles came in a bottle covered in a

petate A petate is a bedroll used in Central America and Mexico. Its name comes from the Náhuatl word ''petlatl'' . The petate is woven from the fibers of the Palm of petate ('' Leucothrinax morrisii''). The Royal Spanish Academy defines it as a bed ...

– a handwoven matting made from palm leaves which dates from the

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

period made in Esquipulas, near the borders with Honduras and El Salvador, by traditional hat artisans. More recently they feature a band around the middle of the bottle of Zacapa No. 23 Rum. Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 used to be known as Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Años. Its name changed due to the confusion it caused, as people thought it was a 23-year-old rum instead of a blend of rums between 6 and 23 years old.

Awards

The rum won first place in the premium rums category 4 years in a row at the International Rum Festival 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. It was the first rum to be included in the International Rum Festival's Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Ron Zacapa Centenario website
{{Diageo plc Food and drink companies established in 1976 Food and drink companies of Guatemala Guatemalan brands Luxury brands Diageo brands Rums 1976 establishments in Guatemala Products introduced in 1976