Rum is not just for pirates.
Rum has a history dating to the 1600s around the Caribbean including Cuba, and
I’m sure some pirate somewhere was drinking rum and the image stuck. Yes,
Captain Morgan was a real guy, but the cartoony image was created only in the
1940s. Anyhow, Cuba is no stranger to rum either, given their vast sugarcane
plantings. So when in Havana, and on a budget, what to do? These rums are not
sipping rums, they are average liquor store bought rums, simple but effective,
flavorful and enticing in their own right. The rums here are all 375 ML and
will pack easily into your suitcase (yes, please declare them) for your trip
back to the States.
Havana Club Añejo Especial
Light and sweet, this rum is
all caramel and butterscotch, cedar, roasted almonds, resin, campfire smoke, and
toffee. This is a pretty basic rum, and not overly balanced. Fine for a mixer
with a kick, it’s sweet and sugary. (40% ABV)
Havana Club Añejo Reserva
A more mature expression of
the Especial, with more time in wood aging. Therefore the caramel and
butterscotch notes - think Werther’s Originals – is richer. The nutty aspect begins
to fade out and there are thick caramel notes, but over a short amount of time
the toffee notes become more pronounced. (40% ABV)
Santiago de Cuba Añejo
A softer entry on the
palette, there is mature honey suckle, resin, slight citrus notes as well as mild
butterscotch and lemon zest. This offers a silkier viscosity, charred campfire
wood, almost a subtle bitterness and certainly less sweet. (38% ABV)
Ron Cubay Añejo
More lithe and subtle, there
is a maturity here, less of a mixer than the other rums listed. A potent brown
sugar note is followed by burnt caramel and campfire smoke, English Toffee and
toasted almonds. The best of the group as a stand alone rum to drink neat. (38%
ABV)
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