Review #: 38
Description: Havana Club Anejo Especial
Spirit: Rum
Background: Havana Club Anejo Especial comes as one of the lowering offerings from the Cuban distillery. This is actually Cuban Rum, and not the Bacardi “Havana Club” Rum that is found in the US, as this bottle came to my father from a Cuban friend who visited. Distilled from molasses and aged in white oak, with added coloring and a fair amount of sugar dosed in, let’s see how it tastes.
Distillery – Havana Club
Bottler – Havana Club
Brand – Havana Club
Selection – N/A
ABV – 40%
Age – NAS
Nose – Sugar syrup, burnt molasses, acetone, some orange and tropical fruit
Taste – Caramel, cocoa, thin but rich, borderline too sweet (and I have a sweet tooth)
Finish – Slight burnt caramel, a little heat but very short
Score: 3
Would I buy a bottle? No
Thoughts: While very cool to try some legitimate Cuban rum that is taboo in the US, this ultimately was one-dimensional and flat. I don’t think HC really tries to hide this though as the back explicitly states it’s best mixed with cola. It’s cheap though and probably worth the novelty if you are an American travelling abroad.