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Trinidad and Tobago | Aged | 40% ABV | Column Still (5+)
Zaya Gran Reserva Rum is a blend of molasses-based rums distilled in a five-column still and aged in white oak barrels for up to 12 years.
Zaya rum was initially distilled by Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala in Guatemala. The brand was acquired in 2008 by Infinium Spirits and is now produced in Trinidad and distilled by Angostura.
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Posted
4 years ago
Yes, it’s sweet. Yes, when sipped beat the flavors seem a little off. But if you’re given a bottle of this as I was, accept the sweetness and go with a diet cola. It marries rather well.
Posted
4 years ago
This and the 16 year are both great sippers, easy introductions to rum and a great price (under $25 where I am). Heavy on the sugar, so bear that in mind... it's definitely not unadulterated, but that may fit your palette well or not.
Posted
4 years ago
As stated in the title, to avoid any misunderstanding, and be specific about the "version" being reviewed, current rating reffers exclusively to Zaya Gran Reserve 12 YO aged rum (as shown in the photo).
That been said ...
Nice bottle, elegant and simple .... to start with,
Proper packaging that highlights the rich color of rum.
Soft, rich, oily and full bodied rum. Medium to sweet, quite balanced though. Profound aromas of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar.
Easily and very enjoyalbe afterall.
Besides the fact that of being totally ripped-off in a Bratislava bar just to taste it. 34!!! euro for a drink - Seriously now?? Would have bought a whole bottle instead (aggggrrrrrr....!!!!). Nevermind...
Posted
4 years ago
Interesting sweet rum, not my first choice but good quality overall.
Posted
over 4 years ago
pretty one dimensional in my opinion, too much vanilla. a bit flat finish. really didnt like it
Posted
over 4 years ago
This mixture of five types of rum is exceptional. It has a nice and intense cocoa aroma.
Thats why it's something special for me. But this cocoa flavor doesn't overlap other flavors like the Companero Panama rum.
It has a spicy finish and a good sweetness in the taste.
If you like chocolate aromas and spices go for it.
Smell: First you can smell cocoa, then some coconut with vanilla, burned sugar, dry fruits (plum), oak, also some spices like cinammon. Overall it's on the chocolate/coconut side. If you are a chocolate junkie this is for you.
Taste: It starts with burned sugar, then chocolate rises and vanilla with coconut appear. The sharpness is low.
Then I get some oak aroma, dry fruits towards the finish and again dark chocolate.
In the background is cinnamon and some other spices.
Finish: spices (clove), chocolate, vanilla
It's a nice rum overall. I like this different aromas, the complexity is good. Rums with coconut aromas are seldom. It's still intensive at 40%. A good blend that I would recommend for beginners and for those who like this aromas.
Overall rating: 82 points (it needs time in the glas btw)
Sweetness: 3/5
Spice: 3.5/5
Fruits: 2/5
Complexity: 3.5/5
Value (40€): 4/5
Country: Trinidad & Tobago
Story: Blended Rum of five different rums, most of it is Angostura rum. Before 2008 it was made of Guatemala rums, but Zacapa grows too big and the company moved to Trinidad & Tobago.
Reasonably priced. Has a hint of vanilla and goes down smooth. Great with coffee as well. Not always available at Liquor Store.
Posted
over 4 years ago
While sippably smooth thanks to its high sugar content, it's basically a glorified vanilla extract. It desperately lacks the depth one would expect for a rum of this age (and price).
Posted
over 4 years ago
In my honest opinion this is the best bottle of rum on the market. It’s absolutely perfect. The 15 is very nice but doesn’t quite capture the same profiles. Don’t let the price fool you (if you can find this bottle) it drinks like a $250 bottle. 5 stars from me all day long.
According to below reviews, Zaya changed from Guatemala to Trinidad and quality dropped. The bottle I just finished is from Trinidad and it has a woven neck ring. It's a good sipping rum, on the sweet side. I liked it.
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Update (3/2018):
Got to try one of the older bottles with grass around the neck and the script-style logo. Just how I remembered it—vanilla, coconut, banana, sweet. Even this version wasn't good, though it was an eye-oper to me as my first "sipping" spirit.
Update: (4/2017):
Wow, having been paying closer attention to retail prices for this bottle of late, they really seem to have plummeted. It's not unusual to see it going for $23USD. I think that's commensurate with what's inside the bottle—or, at least, what we know is inside the bottle, which is very little. This tells me that the makers are capitalizing on the brand reputation they've worked to establish over the year, have drastically reduced production costs (presumably with a blend of younger/inferior rums), and are now going after a (much) larger, lower-end market segment.
And it should do well there. I think for many this bottle would still be a huge step up for their rum game, but it's still just a rung on the ladder; a reference point; nothing to stick with. At the expense of exactly one "I'll drink to that!" I'm letting go of some of the sentimentality I have for this vanilla-banana liqueur and docking it one point.
Update (12/2016):
Yes, the packaging has changed, and not for the better. What's inside is still very good, but not quite as smooth or flavorful as the previous incarnation. I do think it's still a decent value, if you can find it in the USD $30–35 range (I've seen it online for much higher). If you're a fan of the "old" version, now's the time to track down the remaining bottles! And if you have your doubts about the new one, might be time to spring for something a little higher. Cheers!
Original (~2011):
This was the first sipping rum I ever tried, long before I was even a novitiate. I had no expectations. Imagine my surprise when I first smelled the banana, vanilla and caramel. The flavor profiles in this rum are very distinct, and can easily transport you to another place. (Perhaps this contributes—along with good old-fashioned marketing—to such a wide price range for this product, compared to other aged rums.) In the mouth, it's sweet, and oh-so-smooth.
The bottle is nice and heavy, with a straw lattice around the neck [edit: womp, womp...]. Looks good on the shelf (if the shelf is tall enough) and feels good in the hand.
I'd rate it higher if I were a bigger fan of vanilla and banana aromas (which I think most people are), but still, it's a solid bottle.