Havana Club is a rum that has become the national symbol of Cuba. On Liberty Island, many worthy distillates are produced. But the Havana Club brand is the most popular and best-selling among Roma in the world. For thirty years already, the largest alcohol producers, the Bacardi and Perno Ricard concerns, have been fighting for ownership of a controlling stake. In terms of sales of rum, the Havana Club ranks fifth in the world. How does this brand win the hearts of alcohol consumers? Why do people choose the Havana Club rum? We will talk about this in our article.
History of Cuban Rum
It all started with Christopher Columbus, who in 1493 brought sugar cane from North Africa to the New World. He did not do this for the manufacture of rum. But the favorable climate of the Caribbean and fertile soils revealed the unexpected potential of the plant brought from overseas. This cane variety, distinguished by its honey sweetness, juiciness and ability to enhance fermentation, began to be used by local residents for the production of taifa (moonshine). With the onset of the nineteenth century, copper distillers and the digging of vessels into the ground for aging (the so-called aguardientes method) began to be used in the technology of alcohol production. This has significantly improved the quality of the drink. Nevertheless, rum until the middle of the XIX century was considered a product for ignorant peasants and harsh sailors. There was a need to adapt it to the refined tastes of the aristocracy. So there was a soft and light “Ron Superior”. The demand for it was so great that already in 1870 there were more than a thousand factories for its manufacture on the island. And soon one of them became the Havana Club.
The history of the Havana Club rum
In 1863, Jose Arechabal Aldama stepped onto the Cuban coast. The young man was not even sixteen when relatives from Biscay arranged him as a clerk at the BEA trading house in Havana. The young man showed remarkable abilities in commerce. Ten years later, the Marquis de Alava Julian Zulueta offered young Jose the place of his representative in the city of Cardenas. Business was boiling in this port. Zulueta owned huge sugarcane plantations. He also owned plants for processing plants. But Arechabal decided not to sell sugar. Light rum from Cuba has already won the hearts of gourmets in Europe and North America. Don Jose established the production of a distillery and managed it. And when the Marquis of Zuluet died, he bought the company from the heirs. By 1923, the Arechabala joint-stock company, headed by the descendants of Aldama, had gained a good reputation and became known in Canada and the USA. In 1933, a tropical hurricane swept over Cuba, completely destroying the plant. The Arechabal family rebuilt it in its former place and called it “Havana Club”. The rum produced at this plant bore the same name. So the birthday of the drink can be considered March 19, 1934.
Clash of the Titans
Now we need to clarify the question of why the Havana Club rum is produced in two countries - Cuba and Puerto Rico. After the 1959 revolution, all the property of Arechabala was nationalized, and the family fled abroad. The company in Cardenas continued to produce rum, which was exported to the USSR and other countries of the socialist camp. In the nineties, the representative of Perno Ricard, who acquired fifty percent of the shares of the state-owned Havana Club, contacted the Cuban government. The rum of this concern continues to be produced in Cardenas. At the same time, the Bacardi company bought all the rights to the Havana Club rum from the Arechabal family, as well as the original recipe for the drink. This concern has established production in Puerto Rico. And now the World Trade Organization, the US Congress and the EU are involved in litigation between titans of alcoholic beverages.
Cuban or Puerto Rican product: which one is better?
The simple consumer only benefited from this thirty year battle for the brand. Indeed, both Pernod Ricard and Bacardi are trying to make their drink as best and better as possible. On the labels of bottles from Cardenas a proud inscription flaunts: "Cuban rum Havana Club" (El ron de Cuba). The quality of the drink is monitored by the “maestro ronero”. To become such a master blender, you need to study for fifteen years. Now this position is held by Jose Navarro. The quality control by origin obliged the Bacardi concern to indicate on the bottles of rum that the drink was not created in Cuba, but in Puerto Rico. This can be considered a minus, if not for one “but”. The Bacardi company has an original recipe that is over eighty years old. After all, the Arechabal family kept him in strict secrecy. Surely there are some nuances in the technology that add a certain zest to the taste of Rum from Bacardi. And the soil and climate in Puerto Rico are similar to the Cuban ones.
Manufacturing technology
A lot of the taste of rum depends on the quality of the reed. The juicier and sweeter it is, the better molasses is molasses. From it, as well as pure spring water and yeast, a mixture is called a “batison”. After the fermentation process, the stage of distillation in distillation cubes begins. Then they clean it. Thus obtained rum alcohols are aged in barrels of wood of valuable species of white oak. This stage of production is the trump card of the Havana Club company. Rum of this brand is always seasoned. The term can be different: from two (Blanco), three years (Anyeho 3 Agnos) to fifteen or more (Barrell Proof). Then comes the blending of various rum alcohols. This is done by maestro ronero personally. The blended drink is sent for repeated aging so that all the ingredients come into unity. In Cuba, there is a special “Museum of the Havana Club”. The exposition shows all stages of production, from growing sugar cane to a finished product that can be tasted.
Rum stamps “Havana Club”
Bacardi Concern produces only one species, which is called the Havana Club Anejo Clasico Puerto Rican Rum. This is a rum fortress of forty degrees. It has an excellent balanced taste, a rich bouquet and a beautiful dark amber color. The product range of the Perno Ricard concern is much wider. In addition to rum, the Cuban plant produces four types of low alcohol (5%) Havana Club Loko cocktail: with the taste of passion fruit, pink grapefruit, lemon and mango. The youngest alcohols (from eighteen months to two years of aging) are used in Anye Blanco. This is a colorless 40 degree drink. The bouquet of rum combines notes of cherry, vanilla and cocoa. The taste of the drink is balanced, but slightly harsh, with a slight taste of alcohol.
Rum "Havana Club Anejo 3 Agios"
This is the bestseller of a trading house. In it, price and quality are optimally combined. At the Wine and Spirits Competition international competition held in London in 1996, this brand of rum won a silver medal. As the name implies, alcohols mature in barrels for at least three years. The drink has a pleasant straw color. The aroma, possessed by the three-year-old Havana Club rum, is described as caramel-vanilla with notes of banana, pear and a smoke of burnt oak. The taste of the drink is sweet, chocolate. Five-year-old rum has similar qualities.
Elite Brands
Expensive drinks of this distillery have a longer exposure and a rich blend. Rum "Havana Club 7 years" has the color of noble mahogany. In its aroma, tones of vanilla and elite varieties of tobacco are guessed. The taste of the drink is mild, with nuances of tropical fruits and cocoa. Fifteen-year-old rum has the amazing ability to open up gradually. In his taste, honey, prunes, banana and pear alternately appear on the stage. Amber drink exudes the aroma of exotic fruits. “Havana Reserve Club” is a complex, carefully selected blend of spirits of different ages. The bouquet of rum traces tones of caramel, pear and tobacco. Havana Club Anejo Especial is a double-aged distillate blend. Rum smells like flowers, spices, orange zest and vanilla. The taste of the drink is described as caramel. It also has notes of tobacco and cinnamon.
How to drink Havana Club rum
Elite and collection stamps should be consumed separately. Only in this way will all the semitones and elegant nuances of the rum be revealed. You can throw a few ice cubes into a glass. Elite varieties of Havana Club rum leave a long spicy finish, in which candied fruit and bitter oak burnt are discerned. Conventional brands can also be drunk solo - paired with a Havana cigar. They can also be used to make the famous Cuba Libre, Mojito and Daiquiri cocktails.