I’ve had this rum before and didn’t particularly like it, but in addition to needing a rum to review, I wanted to give it another shot. I see it’s potential, but it’s not my particular favourite. Let’s take a look:
What Is The Rum
Zaya Gran Reserva is a blend out of Trinidad & Tobago, featuring at least one 16 year old rum. Zaya is a very sweet. Both neat and over ice, it’s just overpoweringly sweet, and not a pleasant sip at all. This isn’t to say it’s a bad rum, as I can definitely see its uses in a cocktail. But the label points out that Trinidad is the land of the hummingbird, and as you generally just put sugar water in hummingbird feeders, I can see why Trinidad’s rum is so sweet.
Best Way To Drink It
In a cocktail. This isn’t a sipping rum. Unless you like a super sweet rum, I can’t recommend pouring this in a glass and relaxing, either neat or over ice. There are some good flavours in there, however. Noticeably the vanilla, but overall it just doesn’t sip well. This’ll be great in a daiquiri or a rum punch, even a dirty mojito. But on it’s own, it just doesn’t work. And it won’t be good in one of those liquor forward cocktails. In something where you blend it in and it serves as a flavour enhancer, this would be a good one.
Do I Recommend
It’s not in my personal taste range. Zaya is far too sweet, with just some notes of vanilla and then no other discernible flavours to balance it out. Zaya is a little fancier, so you’ve got some prestige in there. It’s not bottom shelf sugar water that’s good for dumping in a wash-tub of punch at a basement frat party. If you’re having a small get together, and you know you’re gonna be doing some cocktails, then this is one to look at. It’s going to enhance whatever mixed drink you use it with.
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