Havana Club rum is everywhere in Cuba, and there are so many different bottles available that things can get a bit confusing for first-time visitors. Here is your guide to the different rums and the best place to try them.
If you want to recreate those Cuban mojitos when you get home, this is the best bottle to buy. It’s a white rum that is used in the iconic cocktails around the world. See how the locals use it at the Hotel Saratoga rooftop bar in Old Havana, where you can lounge by the pool and drink to your heart’s content.
Hotel Saratoga, Paseo de Martí, La Habana, Cuba, +53 7 868 1000
You won’t see this 15-year-aged bottle in many places, and if you do find one it will likely cost you a pretty penny to buy. Rum aficionados have been known to spend as much as $200 on a limited edition Añejo 15 Años, which is in fact a blend of aged rum and aguardiente. Order one at historic celebrity haunt La Guarida in Centro Habana.
La Guarida, 418 Concordia, La Habana, Cuba, +53 7 866 9047
Havana Club 15 | © Lyman Erskine / Flickr | https://www.flickr.com/photos/erskinephotography/7499823486/in/photolist-cqJyeu-22jnjwQ-5CVyAT-ixSmS5-buXFU1-ixSr3g-ixRYtr-ixRZ6Y-e92DTF-a7j8mZ-a7jdJR-a7n1hj-a7mZ3G-a7jbTD-a7jcmk-a7j9YD-26wF7E-a7jdjD-a7n9k9-6p4Wpz-dzwkk7-7GMuJQ-qHQMWF-26rxBB-3hxKps-a7n1rY-a7jf2H-a7jemr-bYGgAC-bYGi5E-a7jhRK-a7j7pe-a7jaFD-a7n8fQ-a7n9z9-a7jhd8-a7n61A-qvaeuQ-a7n3bm-bYGedh-8mh5Ai-a7n2Hf-a7jdwZ-a7n9dA-q1cnxt-qWUt53-qWQb1R-d8ech7-qEyoya-qEwzD2
Bottled at 45% ABV, this aged dark rum is made in casks hand-selected by the best rum makers in the business. The higher alcohol content makes for a more intense flavour, which cuts through sweet cocktails. That said, some rum lovers would bristle at the idea of mixing such a fine rum with anything at all. Take a Havana Club Selección de Maestros after dinner at Atelier in Vedado, Havana.
Atelier in Vedado, Paseo y 2, Vedado, 5ta, La Habana, Cuba, +53 7 836 2025
With only 1,000 bottles produced per year, this is an exclusive rum. It is sold in a crystal decanter, which helps to release the dark chocolate and dark fruit flavours. Ask for one of these at the Hotel Nacional, the former Mafia-owned hotel that looks down over the Malecon in Havana.
Hotel Nacional de Cuba, Calle 21 y O, Vedado, Plaza, La Habana, Cuba, +53 7 836 3564
This limited-edition collection was bottled in 2016 and is made with rums that were produced in 80-year-old casks. As a result there is a dry, cedar-wood finish that lingers after the initial tropical fruit flavours. Order one of these rare rums at La Flauta Magica, a bar on the Malecon that owns the entire Havana Club range.
La Flauta Magica, Calzada, La Habana, Cuba, +53 7 832 3195
The result of a collaboration between maestro ronero Asbel Morales and cigar expert Fernando Fernandez, this rum is perfect for enjoying with a cigar. Mango and banana-leaf aromas mix with honey and chocolate on the palate. Order one with a cigar at La Casa del Habano in the Hotel Habana Libre in Vedado.
Hotel Habana Libre, Calle M, La Habana, Cuba, +53 7 834 6100
