The XO is the 25yo blend I mentioned earlier. For pure snob factor it’s more expensive and older, but I don’t find it as interesting as the 23yo. The loss of heat and bite make it less interesting. The 23yo is sweet and smooth enough for the novice, but has that rich complexity that makes for an interesting sipping experience.
I’d still recommend the “Straight from the Cask” if you want to trade up in cost and cachet. It comes in a wooden box and is dated and numbered. If you want to floor a Zacapaist and cost is not an object then see if you can find the 30 Anniversario. I haven’t tried it as I’d guess it’s in line with the XO which I’m not as fond of.
I’ll ditto this. The XO looks more impressive, but for drinking I prefer the 23-year-old.
And I didn’t even know about the 30 and “Cask” versions (I live in Washington State, so we don’t have real great access to liquor). Thanks for the heads-up.
My mistake…I meant XO. I didn’t even realize that CheapBastid had mentioned it already.
Glad it worked out for you.
Since you like tequila, you might find it interesting to try a white “rhum agricole” (there are dark versions, but the white is what you want). It tends to have much more of a vegetal flavor to it than standard rum.
http://www.antiguadistillery.com/rums_cavalier.html It’s all a matter of taste. This is the best rum for me, which is lucky given my location. The aged ones don’t taste as good as the fresh Cavvie to me either.
I don’t think you can get it in the US though, so you’ll just have to come down. A 2.5 litre bottle runs around USD$15.00 here.