...
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.
Sort by: Popularity | Newest | Oldest | Rating
Posted
almost 3 years ago
I used to like this a lot until I really started tasting more rums. It is really sweet and manufactured to my palate now. Candy in a glass.
Posted
3 years ago
I’m always amazed at how well Zaya plus with other runs in blends, and also how well it tastes on its own. For the price point, it’s pretty damn good.
Posted
over 3 years ago
Surprisingly smooth and well balanced. A good choice
Posted
over 3 years ago
definitely not bad rum. But - nothing that you keep in mind for your whole life.
Posted
over 3 years ago
I found this rum sweet but a nice tasty rum . It will be one of my staples .
Posted
over 3 years ago
What to say -> full loaded vanilla aroma -> like Vanilla bomb :) But it is not sweet as you can smell. It is really good rum.
Sweetness -> 4.5/10
Strength -> 6/10
Posted
over 3 years ago
Az egyik első rumom volt ami megfogott az illatával ízével. Csodálatos belépő a rumok világába . Érdemes kipróbálni!
Posted
over 3 years ago
This rum is slightly above average. Slightly better the second time around.
Posted
over 3 years ago
Very surprised at the aromas, vanilla caramel. The finish started a little rougher than expected but just got better as it lingered. Neat, on the rocks, haven't tried to mix with anything yet.
Posted
over 3 years ago
I can only justify buying Zaya as a mixing rum, as I didn’t care for it neat or on the rocks. Not terrible, but not my cup of tea.
×
This was my third and final test of sipping rums as one shot neat for each from a well stocked bar. If you can separate yourself from the thought of what it used to be when it was distilled in Guatemala, you just may wind up enjoying it. On the other hand, the Guatemalan version must have rated as a 10 instead of a 7 here. Then again, maybe my first two stronger samples of different rums prior to that clouded my judgment.
The aroma is incredible and the taste is smooth and sweet with no burn on the tongue or throat. It has a very pleasant and unique artificial after taste which I cannot describe. It can be used as an affordable sipper at about $27 per bottle, but my shot ran me $9. I am on the fence about buying a whole bottle since I already have enough great rums in my collection. It is a decent rum, but not great. And believe me, I went searching all over some forgotten liquor stores for any remaining bottles from Guatemala with the straw on the neck and having a real cork. My shot was the version from Trinidad.
Update several weeks later: After researching how the parent conglomerate company has slowly degraded the quality of this rum since it was produced in Guatemala back in 2008, I won't be buying an entire bottle. The memory of some artificial taste in that one sample was enough to have me thinking that I would regret buying a whole bottle and having to finish it while paying a penalty each day after drinking it. Comparisons to Sailor Jerry have been made, how both start off deceptively appealing and then the next day it's "Gotcha!". That happened with my first and last bottle of Sailor Jerry. By the way, the bar where I had my glass of Zaya also has Sailor Jerry to sample because that is what the mostly hipster patrons want. I initially gave this Zaya a rating of 7 at best, but have now lowered it to a rating of 5 to match my empty bottle of Sailor Jerry. Any rum that I rate less than a 6 is one that I cannot wait to get rid of, either for bad taste or ill effects the next day.