Gosling Old Rum vs Ron Zacapa XO

[smokinghole]

As far as I can tell these two rums are serious flagships. This isn't an indepth review but just a quick comment.

The Old Rum which I have no idea how old it actually is, Gosling hasn't officially released an age that I find. The XO is a blend of the oldest being 25 if my memory is working correctly.

Now the Old Rum I've read is a longer aged blend of the Gosling's Black Seal. It is much darker in color than the XO. There is much more molasses on the nose than the XO. The flavor of the Old Rum is much less sweet with a little bit more alcohol burn. It's not quite as smooth as the XO but that might be do the the sweetness factor. There is more oak flavor evident in the OR almost like it spent all its time in one barrel like some bourbons do. Not really going to go into specific flavors as I feel thats real subjective.

Overall I think the XO is a better rum and for the price of Old Rum there are others out there at the same level for much less. Ron Pampero comes to mind. It's not quite at the level of the OR but for $30 a bottle it's good enough for me.

 

[JGIORD]

Thanks for the review.

Have you tried Zaya rum. I found it very close to Zacapa, but much less expensive. It's thick heavy and sweet. I found Ron Pampero has more of an alcohol kick to it.

My favorite is still Pyrat XO. :grin:

 

[.jacob]

I love Gosling's Old. An excerpt from a review that has stuck with me, "Talk about complexity, it's like reading an algebra textbook in Cuneiform." Haha.

 

[smokinghole]

I buy Zaya and Zacapa 23 off and on.

 

[Angry Bill]

This shows folks that rum is not just rum.. lol Nice review there Adam

 

[Fia]

Thanks for the review.

Have you tried Zaya rum. I found it very close to Zacapa, but much less expensive. It's thick heavy and sweet. I found Ron Pampero has more of an alcohol kick to it.

My favorite is still Pyrat XO. :grin:

I used to love Pyrat XO but its not the same as it was 6 or 7 years ago. :frown:

 

[Bass man]

I actually like Gossling's Black Seal much better than the old rum. The Black Seal is especially good considering it's relatively low price. Zacapa XO is my current favorite, though. Used to like Zaya when made in Guatemala, but since they moved (to Trinidad?) it just doesn't taste the same.

 

[smokinghole]

Pyrat XO is what got me started on this rum path. I drank Black Seal since I was in Florida. Love the stuff try to always have a bottle around.

I may not have the ultimate tasting palette but some of the reviews talking up Old Rum sometimes makes me wonder if they are justifying the purchase price. I don't regret buying it but at the same time had I had a 1oz sample which comes out to about $2.50, I could have lived with out it. It's a very complex rum for sure but the smoothness accompanied by the cheaper rums makes the complex flavors not a big seller for me.

 

[JGIORD]

I used to love Pyrat XO but its not the same as it was 6 or 7 years ago. :frown:

Too bad I never got the chance to try it back then. Well at least I don't know what I'm missing.

 

[Benzopyrene]

They are both different rums if I remember correctly, the XO is a solera meaning a mix of rums of different ages, and the gosling is single year aged, very different. like comparing steak and chicken.

 

[itsme_timd]

I have had the OR but in general I'm not a huge fan of the black rums except in Dark n' Stormies. You know I love the XO! Jgiord, the Zaya and Zacapa 23 are very close in price and would be on the same plane, the XO kicks it up a notch and has a higer price tag.

On an unrelated note... I had a party at my house last weekend and one of my guests got lit up by pounding my entire bottle of XO, well it was 3/4 full when I went to bed and I woke up to an empty bottle. Grrrrr!