Comments on: Review: Special Report: Zaya vs. Zaya

By: Mad L

Mad L — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:44:00 +0000

I just find any of these ‘sweet’ rums hard to keep down. Personally I prefer mead if it be sweetness I am after. With that said I do not care for Sailor Jerry and certainly not fer Captain Morgan (any strain). I would suppose Pyrate would be good trade off for Zaya if it where ever to completely sink to Davy Jones.

Myself however, will have to keep to my hard rums; Pussers, Appleton, and now Smith & Cross (seeing as how Sea Wynde now lays in the locker below).

I wonder how Bilge Monkey would compare old Sea Wynde with Smith & Cross?

By: RC

RC — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:32:25 +0000

B-Mac,
After more than a few fun tastings, my buddies and I are convinced that the more recent (mid 2009-to-2010) Trinidad bottling which states, “Age Blended Rum,” are bigger and more artificial vanilla tasting… sorta Captain Morgan-esque… than the earliest Trinidad bottling which stated “Distilled From Pure Sugar Cane.”
So to answer your question; yes, if you can find an early Trinidad bottling labeled DFPSC… grab it. But I haven’t seen any since mid-2009.

By: BillyMac

BillyMac — Wed, 05 May 2010 01:59:15 +0000

What would be the closest, next in line Rum to the “Old” Zaya?

By: RC

RC — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:23:58 +0000

Apologies for incorrectly ending the second-to-last sentence of my previous post. I transposed, “from Guatemala to Trinidad.”

By: RC

RC — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:09:42 +0000

This Zaya vs. Zaya flavor profile review seems very discerning and decidedly fair. I believe that while the flavor has changed, the Trinidad version remains quite good, even if it has lost the ringer/sleeper status that the Guatemalan version had enjoyed.
However, I am curious if anyone else has noticed the latest Zaya labeling change… which is the removal of the, “Distilled From Pure Sugar Cane,” text from recent bottlings?
In more recent Trinidad bottlings the labels merely state, “Age Blended Rum,” and I have discerned more of a flavor shift in these bottles than I had when the entire operation was moved from Trinidad to Guatemala.
I’m curious to know if others have shared this experience?

By: Capn Jimbo

Capn Jimbo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:36:19 +0000

Hey Bilge…

Hello again from Sue Sea and I at The Rum Project (linked at my name, below. One of the great reviews ever written by anyone was your old review of Zaya. I’ll never forget your description of Zaya:

“It’s kind of like meeting a dusky tribal queen dressed from head to toe in rich silks and golden feathers, and when you reach out to politely kiss her hand she instead sits on your lap and liplocks you in front of your bewildered crew. Yeah – something like that.”

I couldn’t agree more and just had to quote and credit you in our own very favorable review of Zaya Trinidad. Although it ended up in our Twiggie Tie Dye Section I firmly believe that Zaya Trinidad is not an unflavored sipping rum. But it is a good deal more than a simple, sweet dessert rum.

In fact, it almost stands alone in its own special category.

To read the whole review (and 100 more):

http://rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopic.php?t=153

By: RM

RM — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:43:15 +0000

The new Zaya is nowhere close to the old Zaya in taste. The new Zaya taste very vanilla-ey. Too bad, it was a great rum.

By: John Foster

John Foster — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:52:08 +0000

I tasted the old Zaya last weekend in Key West and have unsuccessfully searched for a bottle since I returned home. Should have bought it there; didn’t know about the change until a few days ago. I am anxious to taste the new Zaya, because I have a distinct taste memory of the old.

By: tigerber

tigerber — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:03:34 +0000

Sadly, I never got a chance to taste ‘old Zaya’. I like the ‘new Zaya’, but it has competition. I am glad they could continue, but it should be much cheaper, since it apparently isn’t comparable. I love rum, anyway.

By: Gonzalo

Gonzalo — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:11:40 +0000

I talked to the Zaya guy at the San Francisco Ministry of Rum event. The problem was that they were not able to get enough supply of 12 year old or older rums. They were faced with the options of moving to Trinidad or discontinuing the brand. I’m happy they decided to move and continue.
I agree it is noot the same but it sure still is a good damn rum. Love it.