Angel's Share Title
Zaya 16 Year Cocobana Rum
Walking down the aisle of my local store, I found this new offering from Zaya. I had tried the original rum years ago, and was intrigued that a 16-year-old rum blend would be used as a component in a flavored product. Zaya is a column still rum distilled in Trinidad and Tobago that is aged in used white oak bourbon casks. The rum is then blended with flavor additives to 40% ABV and imported by Infinium Spirits.
Zaya 16 Year Cocobana Rum
Appearance
The bottle is a hefty 750 ml custom Zaya design, sealed with a clear security wrap and synthetic cork. The liquid is a dark amber color in the bottle that lightens slightly in the glass. Agitating the liquid creates a thin band around the glass that slowly thickens and drops a single set of tears before evaporating, leaving quite a bit of residue in its wake.
Nose
Pouring the rum into the glass flooded the room with the aroma of cocoa, bananas and vanilla. After the aroma settled down, I also found notes of orange zest with nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.
Palate
The initial sip of the rum was interesting as the rush of cocoa and sweet ripe banana flavors was less sweet than the aroma. The spice and citrus notes from the aroma are all present, and they ground the profile. As the flavors begin to fade, the oak char lends an unpleasant bitter acidity to the medium finish.
Review
When I evaluate rums of this nature, I find myself asking what were the engineers’ goals? Did they achieve them? After evaluating the spirit, my answer must be “yes, sort of.” Yes, the aroma and flavor are cocoa and banana flavored. I liked how the spices added a much-needed earthy element and created some complexity in an otherwise two-note profile. Where things went sideways for me was the bitterness and acidity in the finish and the mouthfeel as the rum faded. My tongue and teeth were covered in residue that took several sips of water to clear.
At its core, this is an interestingly flavored spiced rum with a small amount of aged rum in the blend. It holds a unique place in the rum world with its flavor profile, but the things that make it unique also limit its usefulness. I am sure an enterprising cocktail creator could work some magic with it, knowing the finish will have to be tamed, and it could be interesting in any recipe that plays to the banana and spiced flavors in the liquid.
