Background
Distillerie Montebello (formerly Carrère) was established in 1930 in the town of Petit-Bourg on the east coast of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. Their Zenga series, originally launched in 2020, consists of an aged and an unaged rum. There are apparently some new iterations of Zenga on the way, but the one I have today is from the first batch. It was distilled from fresh cane juice in 2019 and bottled in the following year at 60%.
The only information I could find on the name Zenga is on Montebello’s website, which claims that Zenga is a rooster who rules his barnyard with “power, presence, and seduction.”
Tasting
The nose is very green and mineral forward. I get limestone, mixed flowers and flower stems, washed linens, fresh rainfall, grass, and arugula. It reminds me a bit of unaged Bielle, but more clean and tidy.
On the palate, I taste more limestone, grass, arugula, and flower stems. The green, stemmy flavor is so present on the palate that it almost reminds me of grappa. I also get lime essence, banana peel, Greek yogurt, and styrofoam packing peanuts.
Verdict
It’s rums like these that make me wish I had settled on a 100-point scale. It’s flavorful and intense, but also somewhat one-dimensional. I like it more than the Longueteau Sélections Parcellaires (which I gave 6s), but less than the monovarietals from La Favorite (which I gave 7s). I don’t plan to change my scoring system at this point, but I’d say this is on the lower side of a (7/10).