More to Enjoy
- Raided Score: 86
- Publication: Drinkhacker
- Excerpt: It’s not unpleasant, it’s just so unusual that I have found it difficult to draw direct comparisons.
- Read Full Review
- Raided Score: 80
- Publication: Rum Raiders
- Excerpt: Overall, I really didnt enjoy this bottle. I regret not being able to try the old 12yr age stated product before trying this. I would very solidly classify this as a mixing rum, or something to use in cocktails. Sipping neat, its flaws are very evident. The artificial notes here are too much to bring this in line with other products, even of similar price.
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- Raided Score: 87
- Publication: The Rum Howler Blog
- Excerpt: Although I thought the Zaya Gran Reserva was a solid sipping rum, I also felt it lacked balance due to the over the overabundance of vanilla (and to a smaller degree the sweeter than usual caramel).
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Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
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Nose:
Artificial sweetness, much like cotton candy, cough syrup and splenda. Theres some brown sugar and molasses. Little overripe fruit.
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Taste:
A light amount of heat. Cloyingly sweet. Funky, artificial molasses and candied fruits note. Then the weird really starts to roll in. Pink cotton candy. Cherry cough syrup. Splenda. There is something pretty well off in the palate - it tastes very artificial.
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Finish:
Short, with an odd amount of heat for 40%. Still sweet, and still cloying.
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Overall:
Overall, I really didnt enjoy this bottle. I regret not being able to try the old 12yr age stated product before trying this. I would very solidly classify this as a mixing rum, or something to use in cocktails. Sipping neat, its flaws are very evident. The artificial notes here are too much to bring this in line with other products, even of similar price.
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Score:
4
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources