I’m not a huge beer drinker so I’ve been exploring the world of spirits and found that I have a liking for good rum. I’d been told by many people that I must by this rum next time I have the cash. Well since I finally had some extra cash I went ahead and picked up a bottle of Zaya Gran Reserva 12 Year Old Estate Rum.
Oh wow… I’ll review it once I educate myself on how to properly review a rum. This isn’t something you mix with coke or make a mixed drink out of, at most you just add a little ice. It is very sweet with some darker caramel flavors to it. It pairs well with a good full bodied spicy cigar.
Pour yourself a glass and light up a Camacho Triple Maduro, Don Pepin Garcia Blue Label or EO 601 Oscuro.
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m looking forward to the review. When I’m not drinking Scotch, I’m usually drinking rum. While I’ll have the occasional rum and coke, and enjoy a nice rum punch on a hot day, I much prefer my rum with nothing more than a few ice cubes to keep it company. Can’t wait.
Jesse,
The quality and variety of rum these days is outstanding.
Another good one to try is Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum, it is very nice.
Here is a good recipe for hot summer evenings when you want something light.
2 parts Cruzan Vanilla Rum
1 part Pineapple Juice
1 part Cranberry Juice.
Mix and serve over ice.
I don’t work for Cruzan but one of their sales reps hooked me up with some samples while at the bar at Emeril’s in Orlando FL.
I’ll have to give that a try some night. Thanks!
Looking forward to your rum reviews. To my shame, I mostly fix myself some cuba libres, without really tasting it as I should :)
I make Cuba Libres all the time with $9 Rum. You’d be shot for making Cuba Libres out of this. :)
Great topic Jesse. Keep up the reviews and education. My IPA’s do not go well with most cigars so I would like to find out more about rum.
Thanks CWFrasa for the recipe. First warm day I’ll give it a try. It’s cold our here in Los Angeles (I’m a weather wimp)
Cold? in LA? Is that possible? I’m out in my garage smoking at 10 degrees! Pay no attention to the heater…
Hey, it’s 56 right now with a wind chill!! I had to put a jacket on to take the dog out at noon.
Like I said, we are weather wimps out here. Can’t imagine smoking a cigar in 10 degree weather.
Hey Jesse -
I too just bought a bottle of Zaya for the first time over this past weekend. I heard the guys on the “Cigar Nation” podcast praise it, and so I figured I would give it a shot. It is as you said, sweet with a caramel flavor.
I drank it on the rocks and while smoking a CAO Brazilia and found the combination to be absolutely perfect. I look forward to hear your review.
Tried the Zaya with a 601 Blue and was blown away. What a great match. I would be curious which cigar you choose to pair with the Zaya. My match up was a winer.
The 601 Blue or 601 Green both would pair very well. So does the Verocu No. 1 from Tatuaje. Heck I’ve just about paired it with every cigar I’ve smoked since I got the bottle. :)
Purchased some Zaya 12 yo GR for my rum-bum poker buddies. Instant hit. I get it at my local military base. More than one ice cube and your probably wrecking it. Really nice – looking forward to the deck in summer with a CAO or Montecristo.
Also blew right through a bottle of the Cruzan Single Barrel recently . Nice for the price – different end of the spectrum from the Zaya in terms of flavor – both really good.
(I lived in PR 30 yrs ago and we used to bum over to St Croix to get the Cruzan white- it was the smoothest around then …)
Ain’t life grand …
I’ve not tried the Cruzan Single Barrel yet. I’ll have to give it a try.
“Heck I’ve just about paired it with every cigar I’ve smoked since I got the bottle”
This is generally my view of cigar and drink pairing. I don’t know that I have ever had a cigar and drink “pairing” – heck let me call what it is – a cigar I like and a drink I like together that I didn’t like together.
I did recently have a Fonseca porto and a mild Fonseca cigar that wasn’t as good as a stronger cigar would have been, but I didn’t enjoy either any less because of it.
As a tequila drinker, I am glad to see rum’s rise in popularity.
My hope is that this will impact the 100% agave super-premium tequila market adversely, thereby freeing up and reducing the price of agave for the blanco market.
“If there ain’t no burn, it ain’t worth a durn!”
Where can I purchase Zaya rum from Guatamala?
I was given a bottle and enjoyed it much.
I then purchased what I thought was the same
rum, same bottle, but it said Trinidad and did not
taste the same.
Really would appreciate finding out what this
‘switch’ is!
Try Ron Zacapa Centenario. It is better than the Zaya and only a few $$ more.
The Zaya Guat is long gone. Try Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva. Very smooth and not too sweet. Personally I like it better than Zacapa.