HAVANA CLUB LAUNCHES FIRST CUBAN RUM FINISHED IN SMOKY WHISKY CASK

let’s begin

Havana Club, the leading rum in the global super-premium and above category, has unveiled the first ever prestige Cuban rum to be finished in smoky whisky casks - Havana Club Tributo 2018. The rum is the third installment in the Tributo collection, a series of annual releases that pay tribute to the different elements of the authentic Cuban rum production process. The new expression was released in Cuba at the Cigar Habanos Festival this week and will have a limited release of 2,500 bottles globally.

Havana Club Tributo 2018 honours the cask’s crucial role in the rum production process, showcasing the complex taste that maturation in oak casks adds to the original sugarcane distillate. The expression has been crafted from a new blend of the finest rum reserves by Havana Club’s Masters of Cuban rum, who continue to safeguard the lineage and the refined superiority of the Tributo range of prestige rums.

Asbel Morales, Havana Club Maestro del Ron Cubano, hand-selected the blended rums drawn from precious 60-year-old casks and part finished them in barrels that had previously held smoky malts. The result is an exceptional rum with a subtle yet distinctive smoky note, and a cascade of flavours produced by the combination of casks that is set to surprise the palate of the most sophisticated connoisseurs.

Havana Club Tributo is presented in a luxury wooden box, crafted in white wood that communicates the quality of the Tributo range and reinforces the role of the oak in the 2018 edition. Each bottle is numbered and personalised with Maestro del Ron Cubano, Asbel Morales´s signature, to provide the ultimate guarantee of quality. Tributo 2018 is bottled at 40% ABV, and will be available in 21 markets, five more than last edition, from March 2018 at the RRP of 400 EUR per 70cl.

Asbel Morales, Havana Club’s Maestro del Ron Cubano, commented: “This rare rum finished in smoky whisky casks is a manifestation of our proud Cuban heritage interpreted for modern rum drinkers. We proudly present Havana Club Tributo 2018, a true Cuban rum with a unique taste that pays homage to the influence of the cask in the different varieties and styles of Cuban rum. The Tributo 2018 edition is a testament to the craftsmanship at Havana Club distillery, and we celebrate the expertise and passion of everyone who carefully monitored every stage of the distillation, maturation and blending process”.
Nick Blacknell, Global Marketing Director at Havana Club International, added: “Following the success of Tributo 2016 and 2017, we are now pleased to introduce the latest edition in the collectable Havana Club Tributo collection – a prestige Cuban rum with a delicate, peated whisky flavour and presented in a first-class design to emphasise its luxury credentials. We are confident that Tributo 2018 will appeal to whisky and rum connoisseurs alike looking for high quality and authentic drinking experiences”.

Havana Club Tributo 2018 tasting notes:

Colour

Deep, burnished copper

Nose

Oloroso sherry, toffee and cinnamon. Old leather and balsamic notes with hints of smoke and iodine together with stewed apricot, dark raisins, bitter orange and a little bit of pipe tobacco

Palate

Soft, rich and full initially, evolving through to fruitcake, dark chocolate and winter spice in the mid-palate and a dry, structured and exceptionally long finish. The flavour is overlaid with slightly bitter notes of smoke, seaweed and iodine to give a rum of truly exceptional character and complexity.

Tags: Havana ClubHavana Club Tributo 2018SMOKY WHISKY CASK

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.