I am going on a bit of a bender right now on Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala rum. Not in terms of drinking, but in terms of researching. For example, you might know that Zacapa’s claims of it being unsweetened and it not containing glycerine are untrue, and Zacapa’s claims of the rum being 23 years old are untrue, but did you know that their claim of it being solera aged is also untrue?

Well, sorta. It’s a blending procedure that is “inspired by the Solera method”. ILG is most famous for Ron Zacapa Centenario, but they also have some other brands as well, basically made in a very seimilar procedure, such as Ron Botran and El Pasador de Oro.

Like Zacapa and Botran, El Pasador de Oro XO is a blend of rums, aged between 6 and 15 years (though on average closer to 6), but with a key difference — taking a page out of the playbook of the most highly regarded distillery in Barbados, the liquid gold is then shipped to France to be finished in cognac casks.

Also sorry for doing these lame one-offs still, but I really just needed to fill in reviews up to 92, as I want #100 to be something special, and my next review is going to be an 8 parter (that’s a big hint).

Review

Smell

Light on the nose. Vanilla, oak, sweet. Smells very similar to other ILG rums.

Taste

Very sweet. I would say that sweetness is the dominant note. Not very complex at all, in fact, I would say that it is very smooth and uncomplicated. Sweetness, oak, vanilla, that mild rummy coconut flavor. Ok body, not particularly interesting. Finish is actually not as short as I would have thought; it does have a bit of length. I was not able to try it side by side with anything from the Zacapa lineup, but I’ve had Zacapa 23 enough and this is pretty much identical as far as my memory goes. Maybe slightly harsher than I remember? But it’s by no means a harsh rum.

Verdict 6/10

I have had Zacapa Edición Negra, and I have had Zacapa XO. I have not reviewed them yet because I didn’t get the chance to try them side by side with Zacapa 23, and just on the standalone taste, they taste basically exactly like how I remember Zacapa 23, so for now, I want to hold off on reviewing them until I get a chance to actually try them side by side, to tease out the tiny difference.

However, this appears to be pretty much a direct competitor to Zacapa XO, as Zacapa XO is a blend of rums aged 6 to 23 years (but overwhelmingly closer to 6 years on average), and Pasador de Oro is a blend of rums aged 6 to 15 years (but overwhelmingly closer to 6 years on average), and, as far as my tastes and memories go, it’s basically identical to Zacapa XO. The big benefit is the price point. At $50, it’s priced equal to Zacapa 23, and about 2x to 2.5x cheaper than Zacapa XO. If you’re in the market for a rum like Zacapa XO, this basically fills in the exact same role but at a much better price.