What is the best rum you can buy at the supermarket? If Havana 7 doesn’t catch your eye… it should.
Sometimes I don’t quite get my rotation of new rum and finished rum timed right. Yes Amazon Prime is quick but it's still a day away. Do you ever find yourself at the supermarket aisle wondering what's the best rum you can get? Maybe have a try of Havana 7.
Originating from cuba, the island was introduced to sugar cane from non other than Christopher Columbus. From there the rum takes on some significant Spanish influence... and now a little French.
The new state of the art distillery "La Ronera San José" is where the magic happens.
Havana’s rum is produced in slow column stills, after fermenting for 24 hours in the mash with spring water. The stills are copper lined to remove ethanol and there is further filtering through charcoal. This all makes for a good rum ready for maturing.
The 17 hectares facility opened in 2007 after 2 years of construction and has allowed for the expansion of the brand. Now Havana sells over 4m cases a year in 120 countries which is impressive considering they are still embargoed from the USA.
All Havana is aged for a minimum of 3 years, aging in American white oak, ex bourbon barrels. Havana 7 is a blend of rums aged for at least… you guessed it 7 years. Once blended around 20% of the rum is actually put back into the aging barrels, keeping generations of rum flowing through every bottle. When comparing to the rest of the portfolio this is the first rum to be focused more for sipping vs mixing.
Today, Jose Navarro leads the charge as the "master" master blender of Havana, overseeing 8 distilleries. Today the “Master’s del ron cubano” go through a rigorous 15 year apprenticeship.
That's a lot or rum tasting! But they learn from end to end, from ingredient selection, to barrel selection and blending.
So a little history...
Havana originated and still remains in Cuba, unlike the ousted family and closest rivals Bacardi. In 1993 Havana found a willing distribution partner in Pernod-Ricard and have been rapidly expanding through the formers distribution network around the world.
However the relationship with Bacardi is a hotly contested affair. Bacardi claim they have the true Havana recipe, given to them from the Arechabala family who were the original distillery owns and (like Bacardi) were ousted from the country during the revolution. Now based in Puerto Rico they sell “Havana” to the united states. Honestly this is a complex web but I’m here to taste rum so If you would like to know more try this link and go down the rabbit hole.
The bottle was updated in 2016 from the original slender neck style and it was a good transition. The bottle feels much stronger, bolder and befits the dark rum held inside it. The glass is embossed with “El Ron de Cuba” which adds authenticity and character. It is a screw cap but understandable to keep costs down to make the rum more affordable on UK shelves.
Smell: There is a rich sweetness first, demerara but stronger… more treacle. Then I get chocolate and follow up of rich citrus. It brings me back to my days working at Tokyo cocktail bar in Newcastle, making a million mojitos on a saturday night on the main bar. My lasting nose impression is pure ethanol which is a little disappointing.
Appearance: Amber liquid with a tint of of orange. I had expected a darker looking liquid with it being heavily aged. Heavy legs suggesting a high sugar content but when checking over at The Fat Rum Pirate I can see no sugar has been artificially added. So the body should be good.
Taste: So upon my first sip I am hit immediately with the alcohol which bursts up the nose. It's almost like when your ears pop on a plane but for your nose. Very noticeable by short term. The Havana 7 is light and sweet at first. Then comes a spicy mouth feel as the alcohol evaporates and your tongue starts to tingle. To finish I’m left with tobacco and oak coming through. The experience is light all round with the liquid lacking real depth or viscosity.
Rating: 3/5 Limes... This is a well made rum designed for sipping, and compared to other rums in the supermarket it would be.
I’m sure when I first started drinking rum this would have been great but over the years I demand more from my mixing and sipping rum. Now I would use this rum as a Rum & Coke mixer vs the Havana 3 or the Anejo. As a dark rum for cocktails, if I could wait for a bottle of Goslings Black Seal to be delivered... I would, but in an emergency this isn’t the worst bottle to have at home.
Enjoy in a classic rum with 3 limes with lots of ice.
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