The Wine Reference🍷 SupportCuba: Cuban rum (ron cubano)
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Cuba created the light, dry rum style behind the Daiquiri and the Mojito.
How it's made
Column distilled, aged in oak and often charcoal filtered for a clean, light style.
Molasses is fermented and distilled in column stills into a fresh spirit (aguardiente) that is aged, then blended with lighter rectified spirit and often aged again. Filtration through charcoal gives the clean, light character.
History
Cuba built its rum industry on 19th-century sugar wealth, and Facundo Bacardí founded his distillery in Santiago de Cuba in 1862, pioneering a lighter, filtered style. After the 1959 revolution the industry was nationalised and Bacardí moved abroad; Havana Club has since been made by the state with Pernod Ricard.
Ageing and label terms
Labels usually give the age of the youngest rum in the blend, such as 3 Años or 7 Años, with older blends for sipping. Ageing happens in used white oak barrels in Cuba's warm climate.
Styles
Light, dry white rum for cocktails; amber añejos for sipping or mixing; and rich, aged premium blends.
Rules and protected names
Ron de Cuba is a protected designation of origin: the rum must be made and aged in Cuba from Cuban sugar cane molasses, following the island's traditional production methods.
How to serve and classic cocktails
Cuba is home to the Daiquiri, the Mojito, the Cuba Libre and the El Presidente. Aged rum is also enjoyed neat.
With food
Ropa vieja, roast pork with mojo, black beans and rice, plantains and flan.
Good to know
Because of the US embargo, Cuban rum is not sold in the United States, and the Havana Club name is used for different rums in the US and the rest of the world.
Producers
- Havana Club
- Santiago de Cuba
Bottles to try
Havana Club Añejo 3 Años
Light and dry: vanilla, pear, banana and a hint of smoke.
Strength: 40% · Age and cask: 3 years, white oak
A light Cuban rum made for cocktails, produced in Cuba with Pernod Ricard. It is filtered through charcoal for a clean, dry style.
Serve: In a Mojito or Daiquiri
Havana Club Añejo 7 Años
Cocoa, tobacco, vanilla, brown sugar and tropical fruit.
Strength: 40% · Age and cask: 7 years, white oak casks
Aged rums are blended and re-casked several times during ageing, a typical Cuban method. It is the flagship sipping rum of the Cuban-made Havana Club range.
Serve: Neat, on the rocks or in an Old Fashioned
Havana Club Selección de Maestros
Rich and dry: tobacco, cocoa, toasted oak, dried fruit and spice.
Strength: 45% · Age and cask: No age statement, oak barrels with a final ageing chosen by the master blenders
Chosen by the Cuban maestros roneros, the master blenders who oversee Havana Club's ageing stock. Bottled at a higher strength than most Cuban rums for a fuller, more intense sip.
Serve: Neat, on a large ice cube, or in a stirred rum Old Fashioned
Santiago de Cuba Añejo 11 Años
Light yet deep, with toffee, cocoa, dried orange peel and gentle oak.
Strength: 40% · Age and cask: 11 years, white oak casks
From the historic distillery in Santiago, Cuba's original rum capital; the island's light Spanish style taken to long ageing.
Serve: Neat or with one ice cube and a cigar
More rum & cane regions
Explore all spirits in the interactive guide
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