One of my mates just returned from Costa Rica and brought me this bottle of Centenario, which otherwise I wouldn’t normally purchase given its price in the UK (£65), but I decided I need to try and review more “rons”.
Centenario is produced by Centenario International S.A. that was estabilished at the end of the 70s as Seagram of Costa Rica and became independent in 2002 taking its current name. Can’t find much information about the distillery, but I’ll take a wild guess and assume multi-column distillation is involved.
Again I found mixed information about the raw material, it’s mentioned a few times that it’s distilled from sugarcane juice, and even fewer times that it’s molasses based so I’ll go with the first one. Sugarcane juice fermented and distilled in supposedly multi-column still, aged in ex-Bourbon barrels and blended using a Solera system. The rums in the blend are aged between 6 and 20 years in Costa Rica and the label clearly says “20 Anos” on the front when it should really say “6 Anos” but I guess if it’s a Solera system you can stick any two digits number on the front label. Bottled at 40% ABV and, although I can’t find a hydrometer read online, it has definitely been sweetened.
On the nose it’s fairly woody. Charred oak, cocoa, ground coffee and black olives. A sweet smell after like cheap chocolate and vanilla essence. Some tobacco, melon, mango, poppy seeds and pistachios. It smells quite inviting.
On the palate is where the sweetness comes through. Overly sweetened coffee, hot chocolate (just not hot), pralines, caramel and tobacco. Blackcurrants, prunes, rubber, vanilla, caramelized walnuts and raisins. Has a PX sherry flavour and mouthfeel to it, it’s quite thick on the palate and it coats your mouth making it a bit sticky. There’s an earthy-woody note in the back that doesn’t sit well for some reason, but you can barely feel it under the sweetness. The finish is short and sticky with tobacco and coffee liqueur.
Quite underwhelming for the price and the good reviews I saw online. I used most of the bottle for shots with colleagues and regulars at the bar. Probably just not for me, I can see how someone with a sweet tooth would enjoy this. Not a bad dram overall, but I still think it’s overpriced in my opinion. I know I wouldn’t buy it again.
Ron Centenario 20 Anos Fundacion score:
Flavour/taste: 34/70
Value for money: 6/15
Transparency/purity: 4/15
Overall: 44/100
Cheers!