Amazing Discovery: Zaya Gran Reserva Rum

[MK]

While in Las Vegas on a business trip, we were having drinks at the Rum Jungle in the Mandalay Bay. I asked the bartender what his favorite rum was. He introduced me to Zaya Gran Reserva from Trinidad. This is a wonderful sipping rum that doesn't need to be mixed with anything. It really stands on its own. I love having it just in a sniffer glass in the evening. If you haven't tried this one, it is well worth the time. Enjoy!

 

[Tomasso]

Zaya Gran Reserva from Guatemala .

Fixed that for you. But yes, I've had it many times and it's wonderful, one of my favorite rums. It's made by the same people (Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala) who make Ron Zacapa 23, my absolute favorite rum. There's a lot of great sippin' stuff out there nowadays.

 

[MK]

.

Zaya is a private label rum brand developed by Infinium Spirits of California. The original version was produced in Guatemala. When production was changed to Trinidad, the master blender handcrafted the original recipe to be used with aged rum stocks from Trinidad in such a way as to keep the formula true to the original.

 

[Tomasso]

Oh, they left Guatemala; that slipped by me. I wonder if they're making it themselves now or still contracting out. There's been a lot of behind the scenes intrigue in the rum biz recently with a couple of big players stepping in and shaking things up. I wouldn't be surprised if Zaya's contract wasn't renewed and they were forced to find a new situation. Most would say that leaving Guatemala was not a positive step for the spirit itself.


EDIT: I found this review of the new Zaya.

 

[dhermann1]

Just curious

I have a bottle of Bacardi that had sat in a closet unopened for about 40 plus years, that looks identical to a modern bottle, except that the label say "Havana, Cuba", instead of "Kingston, Jamaica". Not being a rum expert at all, I'm wondering if this means it's exceptional stuff. The bottle is still unopened, in pristine condition.

 

[rmrdaddy]

Dan,
It won't age in the bottle really, but Bacardi made in Havana would simply HAVE to be good!
The Bacardi company is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda according to Wikipedia, even though the factory is now in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The original factory in Cuba still produces rum under the Caney label, although it is in no way affilliated with Bacardi.

 

[rmrdaddy]

And MK, yes, I agree the Zaya is good, even the current version. If you ever get to Philly, we'll need to enjoy a cigar at Mahogany on Walnut, they offer a rum flight with one ounce shots of 4 rums. Zaya, Montecristo, Cruzan Single Barrel, and Pyrat IIRC.

 

[Tomasso]

Dan,
It won't age in the bottle really, but Bacardi made in Havana would simply HAVE to be good!

I'm not sure how good it will be but it may well be valuable.

The Bacardi company is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda according to Wikipedia,

shakeshead Miami.

 

[Tomasso]

I bought a bottle of Zaya for my MNF quests tonight and I'm going on record that it's a poor man's Zacapa. [huh] And we're only talkin' a $5 price difference.

 

[MK]

Interesting. If Zacapa really is better I will keep my eye out for it. In my area Zaya is $34 and Zacapa is $44. Of course these are not sale prices.

Having said that....several months and many bottles later....I am still very impressed and enjoy Zaya rum.

 

[jmrtnko]

I bought a bottle of Zaya for my MNF quests tonight and I'm going on record that it's a poor man's Zacapa. [huh] And we're only talkin' a $5 price difference.

That's odd. For some reason, I'd always been under the impression that Zaya and Zacapa were from the same distiller. I'm not sure where I got that incorrect idea from, other than always hearing them mentioned together. It's interesting to see them in the same sentence again.

 

[MK]

I tried Zacapa tonight. I can't say I share the opinion that it is better than Zaya. Different perhaps. Both are excellent, sipping rums...but I prefer Zaya.

 

[rumblefish]

When I first got a bottle of Zaya I thought of it as only for sipping. But I'll tell you, put it in a tumbler filled with ice and just a lime squeeze- instant Caipirinha.

 

[jmrtnko]

I tried Zacapa tonight. I can't say I share the opinion that it is better than Zaya. Different perhaps. Both are excellent, sipping rums...but I prefer Zaya.

I can't say whether one is better than the other, but I have to agree with your preference. Our bottle of Zaya disappeared fairly quickly. We replaced it with a bottle of Zacapa and it's still sitting there 3/4 full months later. Just not as excited about it in the same way as we were the Zaya.

 

[Wolfwood]

Zacapa is one of those rums that has got rave reviews in the past, but the "recipe" was changed a couple of years ago and the reviews haven't been as favourable since then. It is still an excellent rum, though, and the best I have available to me (very small selection of "upper shelf" rums in Finland).

I'll have to keep an eye out for Zaya on one of my international trips. Sounds like a rum to sample!