Aroma visualization from community tastings
Centenario Fundación 20 Años Reserva Especial
Most tasters land in the same friendly zone: a soft, sweet Costa Rican with vanilla, caramel and brown sugar, plus a little candied fruit and orange peel. Several call it one of the better entry sippers and love the price-to-pleasure. But not everyone's charmed — a few find it "too sweet," watered down, or too round and fruitless to hold their attention.
The community says- Smooth and mild
- Vanilla-caramel sweetness
- But: Added sugar
View price history
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The look inside the bottle
How does Centenario Fundación 20 Años Reserva Especial taste?
Aggregated from 276 community reviews.
Soft, sweet everyday Costa Rican sipper Well-liked as an easy, sweet everyday sipper — vanilla, caramel and a peppery edge. The catch: it's clearly sweetened and light, so bolder-rum drinkers get bored.
People who like sweet, smooth, uncomplicated sippers
Anyone avoiding sugar or wanting a bold, dry rum
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
93 of 276 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
More intense
Abuelo XII Two Oaks
8.0/1044 €
Woodier
Centenario Fundación 25 Años Gran Reserva
8.0/1057 €First choice: 25 of 39 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Centenario Fundación 20 Años Reserva Especial rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.0 sits in the “Very good” band. 77% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 2% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
52% rate it 8 or higher. 20 selected write-ups from 276 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
One of the community's most-rated rums
Review by Johannes G
Really tasty sweet rum that behaves differently from other sweet rums. The sweetness comes through first both on the nose and on the palate and accompanies the flavor rather than covering it up. Delicious fruit and fine little spicy aromas dominate. For me, one of the best entry-level rums and the Centenario with the best value for money.
Review by Gonzo1971
Most helpful positive review
Nose 4 Taste 4 Total 4
Review by kudzey
Most helpful critical review
Good aroma intensity for this style. Notes typical for evaporated came juice dominate, with some aging influence. The bite is unpleasant, sourdough it tried to be masked by sugar. Sweet and syrupy texture. Not my style at all.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
I think this is a very under rated rum. It's in the cheaper end yet its complexity is very convincing. A wonderful sweet, fruity and spice nose going into a complex well balanced heavy palate. The finish is long, a bit sweet and has a nice peppery sting to it. Price to quality is very good.
Review by TheJackDrop
Mwah mwah mwah, We're on a RON, and it's really not my favorite thing. It's too round, too vanilla, too buttery, there's no fruit or pep, it gets boring fast. It's well made, but not for me. On a positive note though: it leaves an impressive scent in the glass when empty, which is cool.
Review by Torsten vom Endt
Tastes as you would expect from a South American: sweet and subtly fruity, the spices are not exaggerated and the finish is mild.
Review by Patrik Onderka
My first Centenario tasting. Even though I’m more into English rums, I found this Costa Rican fellow very tasty. Slight woody note with fruit tints well very pleasant and rounded. I can definitely recommend for daily sipping.
Review by F.L.O.
One of the few sweet rums in my collection that is always on the table when things need to be uncomplicated and the consumers are still beginners. It's also the best of the centenario range because it has rough edges as well as sweetness. It also has a slight spiciness. Super part !
Review by Rumpalumpa
If you fancy something sweet, this one is great. Not much on the nose at first, then roasted aromas and candied fruit, with a hint of cherries. Very sweet on the palate, spicy and roasted again. Rather short finish.
Review by Schnubbii
Lecker, rund und ausgewogen. Immer noch mein Favorit unter den gesüßten Rum.
Review by Tim
Smell is initially rather thin, there is not so much to discover. Longer in the glass but then comes caramel, roasted aromas, some chocolate and fruit. In the mouth very velvety, sweet with lots of honey or caramel. The Centenario 30y has >40g/L, the 20y seems to be against it not quite as sweet or it is simply more tangy.
Review by MarkoS
Velmi dobre vyvyzena chut. Sladky rum s nadychom tropickeho ovocia
Review by Daniel
Angenehmer Süßrum mit top Preis-Leistungsverhältnis.
Review by Rumbaer
In der Nase schöne Holznoten mit roten Früchten und einer leichten Süße mit Gewürzen. Am Gaumen dann wieder holzig, Rosinen und Sherry (wird wahrscheinlich der Brandy sein). Einen angenehmen Abgang mit etwas Süße und Schärfe zugleich.
Review by frseec
Vom Geruch her sehr alkoholisch, kommt beim Geschmack überraschend eine sehr angenehme Süße Zuerst. Diese Süße wird dann von einer leichten Schärfe begleitet und bleibt relativ lange am Gaumen. Sehr guter Abgang.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Round, mild, not too over-sweet rum from Costa Rica. You can definitely do it!
Review by Tom Schluckbier
Smooth as butter
Review by Renato
A classic grand ron, perhaps a little too sweet.
Review by Radi
I love it :)
Review by Anthony Dalessandro
Caramel and woody aroma on the nose On the palate, caramel and sugar sweetness, perhaps a little too much. The finish is a combination of caramel and a hint of vanilla.
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Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 32 € – 48 €
from 5 sales, latest 12/2025
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 43 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Centenario Fundación 20 Años Reserva Especial
A Column Still Rum from Costa Rica, distilled by Fabrica Nacional de Licores, at 40%.
Community purchases
709 bottles logged by 647 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
39% opened, 111 emptied and repurchased.
What does Centenario Fundación 20 Años Reserva Especial cost?
Community paid 40–65 €.
Current best price: 44.50 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
+20 purchases in the last 3 months.
Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.
709 purchased · 321 tasted · 326 wishlist · as of
About the Fabrica Nacional de Licores distillery
The Fabrica Nacional de Licores distillery is located in Costa Rica. Rums from Fabrica Nacional de Licores have been reviewed 921 times with an average of 7.5/10.
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