schlimmerdurst wrote:"Go figure..."
I'd be very interested in the reason for the reduction, but can't really guess what it might be.
They already removed the "años" word from their product, which was a good thing. Could it be that they're trying to say goodbye to the Dark Side of the Rum Force? Step by step?
No, JaRiMi and I were quite active insofar as going after what was promoted as "The Best Rum Rum in the World" as seeming way over the top, sugarwise. Back then we had no tests beyond our good senses and palate. It was a huge battle, strongly rejected by the MOR and its monkey minions.
This was in the days when the Shillery was dominant and the Preacher's "
...it's all good" mantra.
They knew full well their concoction wasn't 23 years old, and even the claim of a 23 year solera was dubious (as all soleras get older each year, with very little difference in average age which is about 7 years). And to many, this is more a blending scheme than a real solera in the traditional sense.
So if you are asking if heavily subsidized and giant Diageo has seen the light and found God, my answer is
not hardly. BTW, the outing of Zacapa was infectious and seemingly effective - they stopped entering it in "competitions". And they did nothing at all until the actual test results came out showing sugar levels of over 40g of sugar per liter: a liqueur if there ever was one.
My guess is that they remain convinced that sugaring is necessary, but reduced it to a level they felt they could get away with, in line with say Plantation or some of the El Dorados (which were previously not sugared). There is also the issue of artificial sweeteners which may evade testing (another subject, another day).
Honor among thieves might be one way to look at it, and forced screaming every step of the way...
, and they make it impossible for us to find out with the hydrometer test
Diet rum! Might be a new way to market rum to the "skinny bitches". Zacapa Stevia.