

Summary of the itinerary between the Province of Santa Cruz in the Republic of Bolivia and the Province of San Pablo (Sao Paulo) in the Brazilian Empire, dedicated to Simón Bolivar by his admirer Antonio Gonzalez, in 1825. You’ll find an array of astonishing, mouthwatering rums, including many that don’t bear the Havana Club label at all.Containers: Box 13, Ms 49 Scope and Content: Or, budget and travel visas permitting, go visit Cuba. Aged seven years, it’s a maple-and-spice sipper made by a Cuban-born master distiller, Francisco “Don Pancho” J Fernandez, in the traditional Cuban method. In the meantime, my recommendation is Caña Brava Reserva Añeja (Panama The 86 Co., $45). It has me wondering if this is a closer facsimile to the pre-Castro Cuban rum under Bacardi’s reign.įrankly, I had been hoping for a more spectacular bottling to emerge from the trademark turf wars. If you really want to see what Bacardi can do, seek out a bottle from the Cuba-inspired Facundo line, like the brown sugar-tinged Eximo ($60). However, it feels lighter than most Cuban rums and is fairly oaky, without the sweetness and richness that usually makes rum such a joy. The vanilla and oak scent is roughly comparable to the Cuban namesake.
#Eximo puerto free
It’s a bottle to snap up if you see it in the Duty Free shop.īy comparison, the Puerto Rican-made Havana Club Añejo Clásico (Bacardi, $22) is made from a blend of rums aged from one to three years. I found the Selección de Maestros much better (also made in Cuba, approximately $40), which has strong notes of chocolate, caramel and sweet tobacco. It’s fine, a mid-range rum with plenty of robust caramel and oak, and just a touch of underlying richness. The Cuban-made Havana Club Añejo Especial (Pernod Ricard, approximately $25) is what you’ll find in Cuba Libres and other mixed drinks that call for something other than a blanco rum. It will come as no surprise that we tasted a lot of Cuban rum, most of it made by Havana Club. In April, Wine Enthusiast visited Havana on a rum-seeking expedition-look for an in-depth feature in our November issue. In the meantime, we have one burning question: How is the rum? We’ll let the liquor companies duke it out in court. since the start of the trade embargo in 1962. Of course, Havana Club produced in Cuba has been blocked from sale in the U.S. Pernod claims that a 1993 deal with the Cuban government gives it the right to sell the Cuban-made rum under the Havana Club name worldwide-including the U.S. On the other, vocal rum-lovers and nationalists insist that Havana Club should be made in Cuba-not Puerto Rico. On one hand, Bacardi family members are eager to take back their distillery legacy from Cuba’s government. Sign up Privacy Policyīut it goes deeper than just commercial concerns. Thank You! We've received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast. Both rum-making families fled Cuba in the 1960s after the government nationalized the island’s distilleries the Arechabala family let its trademark lapse in 1973. Many decades ago, Bacardi was the producer of Havana Club in Cuba, buying the brand from the Arechabala family, who founded Havana Club in 1934. In brief, Pernod Ricard, which currently produces the Havana Club made in Cuba, is battling with Bacardi over rights to the brand name. So, what’s the big deal? The iconic Havana Club name is at the swirling center of a major trademark dispute. If you’ve spotted a bottle with a cheery red circle on the label at your favorite bar, odds are that the bartender personally carried it back from Cuba. and Cuba and anxiously awaiting the return of Cuba’s Havana Club to the States.

Here’s why: Rum-lovers have been following the loosening of trade restrictions between the U.S. And it’s causing a stir in the spirits industry right now. The bottling with an austere navy-blue label is made and distributed by Bacardi, which produces the rum in Puerto Rico. consumers may come across a new rum on the shelves: Havana Club Puerto Rican Rum. You would think that Havana Club Rum would be made in Havana, Cuba.
