I’ve sung the praises—to whomever would listen—about another fine rum from Guatemala that’s better known than Ron Botran, but apparently they’re doing something right in that country as this one is excellent too.
Is Guatemala big enough to support two rum distilleries? Actually no: both this brand and Ron Zacapa are part of the generic-sounding Industrias de Licoreas de Guatemala. They do have separate websites though. That one will take you to the Zacapa brand now, while this one goes to Ron Botran.
The Botran family has been making rum since 1939, but I have to confess I’d never seen this label outside of Guatemala until I visited Miami in 2012 and saw it on several billboards and bus stop ads. Since they were obviously putting some resources into getting the word out in the U.S., I bought a bottle in a downtown liquor store to see if it was worth talking about.
Indeed it is, so I’ve bought it many more times since.
So what’s the difference between this brand and Ron Zacapa? Well it seems that the latter has trimmed its offerings and the only bottles bearing that name are the Zacapa 23, the Edicion Negra, and Zacapa XO. Everything else has been bottled as a Botran brand now instead. The numbers roughly correspond to aging, but you have to take their word for it. The 23 says, “a blend of rums aged 6 to 23 years,” the Negra maxes out at 24, and the XO says, “aged 10 to 25 years.”
I try not to get hung up on the technicalities though because what’s important is the taste result and sometimes blending can be better. One quick technical note: Botran got a rebrand in 2022, which is when you started to see it more on the shelves in its newer and prettier bottles. Those bottles are hefty and have some relief lettering in the glass and a (synthetic) cork stopper.
Ron Botran Tasting Notes
Situated somewhere between the liquid caramel of Centenario rum from Costa Rica and the heavy bite of Flor de Cana from Nicaragua, Ron Botran Añejo Reserva offers a nice blend of smoothness and complexity that makes it fine to drink neat but not overpowering if you use it in a (good) cocktail. It hits all the right notes you’d expect from a fine Central American rum: toasted caramel, vanilla, spice, and a long, pleasant finish.
Those with a refined palate might taste almonds and some tropical fruit overtones. With a warm copper color and a medium body feel in the mouth, this is a rum you could sip for hours. If you bought this in the ’00s it would have the Zacapa label on it instead and the 12-year version of Botran is basically Zacapa 23 aged half the time. There is a slight variation in when the sugar cane is harvested for the two brands, but it would take a professional reviewer who does this for a living to tell how much difference that makes I would imagine.
Guatemalan rum is aged in the highlands, not at sea level like most Caribbean brands, so it can benefit from longer aging (and not taste like a stack of firewood or a pair of boots). To my taste, that makes this distillery the king of all rum makers, something borne out often at spirits contests and customer ratings both.
This is a complex rum with a pleasant aroma to start, a rolling cavalcade of flavors as it moves across the taste buds, and a lingering, pleasant finish at the end. The Zacapa/Botran distillery owns its own sugar cane fields, which can’t hurt in terms of quality, plus they typically blend barrels together rather than separating those into different products. From what I can taste, this is a good strategy. Think of this then as the sister version of Ron Zacapa, with just fewer years in the barrels. (But not many fewer if you get the 18 version.)
Oddly, you’ll find this marketed with a variety of numbers on the label, from 8 to 12 (what I usually see in Mexico) to 15 to 18 (the highest one for this brand). You’ll think that corresponds to the number of years it has been aged and you’d be partly right. But since this distillery blends a wide range of barrels together in the solera method, you really have to take it on faith that the 18 version has more longer-aged rum in it than the 12 version. Anything up to 15 says it’s aged in barrels “for 5 to 15 years” and the higher numbers just add more to that range. So that number is just the maximum.
I did have the Botran 15 version years back when I was in Guatemala and I’m guessing I could pick that out over the 12 version I have in my house now, but I doubt the difference would be dramatic. If you see different versions on the shelf and there’s a massive difference in price, I’m not sure the additional years are worth the premium since it’s a blend. You just might get a slightly nicer bottle. All of them are tasty.
As I’m writing this in the second half of 2025, Total Wine has the 15 version listed for under $40, the 18 for $42, and the Zacapa 23 for $44, so no matter which you pick you’ll be getting a great value.
If you want to compare both brands and different aging, set aside some time before your flight out of the country. That’s so you can visit the rum room at the Guatemala international airport. Follow that link to read all about it.
Buying Ron Botran Aged Rum
The price tag for this quality rum from Guatemala will often be a happy surprise and considering that most people would not be able to tell the difference in this and the longer-aged Zacapa rum that’s got an 18 on the label, this is a terrific value.
Ron Botran Añejo Reserva 15 usually retails for $30 to $40 in the U.S., making this one of the greatest bargains you’ll find in the rum section or your liquor store — if they have it. (I once found a bottle for $19, should have bought a case.) It looks more expensive than this, plus it certainly tastes more expensive than many others in this range from the Caribbean. If you see an 18 version it might go for $35 or so, but that’s the top of this brand’s range.
I’m updating this in 2025, when I bought a bottle of the Botran Ron de Guatemala 8 for under $20 on sale. As you can see from my photo though, it didn’t last very long and now I need to restock. It goes down easy in a cocktail…
Reserva 12 also retails for $25 in a Mexican supermarket, priced somewhere between the Mexican, Cuban, and Jamaican brands and the higher-priced sister Zacapa or a Flor de Cana of the same age. So no matter where you are in North America, Ron Botran Reserva rum is a great find.
You can read more about the brand here on their official website, which points out that they are “the world’s first sustainable rum.” Another reason to reach for it on the shelf or request it in a fine bar.
