Havana Club Selección de Maestros

A unicorn! At least to little ole American me. This bottle comes with tremendous gratitude thanks to a fellow rum aficionado.

So this is a high end Cuban rum, comprised of a blend of Cuban rums aged 10-15 years in bourbon oak. The blend reportedly selected each year by the Maestros of Havana Club. It is available in most rum shops outside of the US. It is unlike most Cuban and Cuban style rums in that it is bottled at 45% ABV instead of the ho-hum usual 40%. So what is it like?

On the nose first off I get straight ethanol which immediately fades to Oak, faint Butterscotch, then a rush of Pear and Cinnamon. The nose is lighter than I anticipated or hoped for and initially it made me a bit concerned that the palate would be light and underwhelming as well…

Then I took a sip. The palate is far more expressive than the nose would lead you to believe this rum to be. I get Oak, Cinnamon, and Pear. Still, taken straight from the Glencairn, the palate initially didn’t open up as much as I suspected it could. So I poured it over an ice ball in a temperature controlled cup…and the palate blossomed into a wonderful array of delightful tastes. With a touch of water, the palate of this rum becomes rich and intense - oddly more so than straight up. I get the aforementioned oak, cinnamon, and pear, but now also strong notes of Porto, Toffee, Tobacco, Caramel, Bourbon, and Brown sugar. The palate reminds me quite a bit of Panama Pacific 15 Year but it is perhaps a touch more expressive than that. In a way it also reminds me of a Foursquare rum with the intensity of the bourbon oak notes. This is absolutely delightful over an ice ball, a wonderful expression of what a good Cuban Ronero can do.

The finish is medium in length and starts with light notes of Butterscotch. As you sip on it, more notes begin to linger - Oak, and then Port. After putting the glass down a while you are left with a sort of pleasant Pipe tobacco note in your mouth like if you just finished smoking a pipe.

This is a pretty great experience for those who enjoy Spanish/Cuban style rums. I get that some here get bored with the Cuban style. But I don’t…at all. Don’t get me wrong I love my Jamaicans and my Agricoles, but those experiences do not in any way dull my enjoyment of a well crafted Cuban style rum. The Spanish colony rums, and especially the Cuban roneros, are able to create a wonderful intensity in their earthy and dessert notes, even without added sugar that invokes a real sense of enjoyment and relaxation to my senses. This rum is an excellent example of that, and might I add, without any added sugar.

Interestingly, this is one of those rums which becomes far more expressive and flavorful with a touch of water than it is on its own. It seems to be made to sip over an ice ball, and I imagine it pairs immaculately with a Cohiba, though my cigar days are in the past.

For my fellow Americans who are normally barred from getting actual Cuban rums, this rum matches up extremely closely with (Don Pancho’s) Panama Pacific 15 Year. So if you want this experience but can’t actually get this rum you can get nearly the exact same experience with Panama Pacific 15 Year. This rum is maybe slightly more intense in flavor than that and the Panama Pacific has a tapioca note that isn’t present here, but otherwise they are pretty darn close.

Overall this rum is really quite a treat. It is not the single greatest rum I have ever had, but I rate it pretty highly.

Short Description: the very essence of the Cuban style and a portrait of the island itself. The capabilities of the expressions of sugar it’s forms and tobacco.

Nose: Alcohol, Oak, light Butterscotch, Pear, Cinnamon

Palate: Oak, Cinnamon, Pear, Port, Toffee, Tobacco, Caramel, Bourbon, Brown sugar, rich and decadent

Finish: (medium) Butterscotch, Oak, Port, long afterwards Tobacco

Насыщенный, сбалансированный и плотный ром. Первый нос - бурбонные ноты. Далее раскрывается тонами чернослива и фиников, посыпанными специями. Хорошо слышна выдержка в бочке.

Lekkere geur van vanille, eikenhout en kruiden. Mooie volle zoete smaak van vanille, eikenhout, gebrand suiker met een volle ronde afdronk die lang blijft hangen

Picked this bad boy up on my last fishing trip to Mexico and glad I did. A golden hued rum that looks and smells good in the glass. Smooth with a medley of flavors, wood, leather and Carmel. I find this rum dangerously smooth and very balanced between dry and sweet. The most pronounced aspect to me, is the aftertaste, which hangs on and begs you to pour another shot. Definitely recommended, real rating 8.5.

I have enjoyed the 7 year old for a while, and actually watching an old Conan O'Brien Show where he visits Cuba and Havana Club's distillery showcasing some rums that are not on the shelves here in Sweden, I decided to order the Club Selección de Maestros.

After two weeks it arrived. A slight bump up taste-wise. Nice bottle design.

Better wit a little ice cube, oak and vanilla, a little too shirt in finish

This is the best HC rum I have tasted that is still being sold in normal shops. A true masterpiece.

The rating could be 7.5, this is not the my favourite, but it is very good :) This is not one, which I would sip in the nigths, but not bad for visitings :)

Sweetness -> 5/10
Strength -> 6.5/10

This was offered to me. Easily sippable and makes a fine mixer. Not a personal favourite, and not one I’m going out of my way to find and buy, but I wouldn’t regret a purchase if I found it

Like double the price of H7 but it is not even as good as it!