HAVANA CLUB TRIBUTE COLLECTION

NEW HAVANA CLUB 2018 TRIBUTE COLLECTION RUM

Havana Club has launched its first ever smoked-whiskey flavor rum as part of its Havana Club Tribute Collection 2018. The limited-edition rum is aged in smoked whiskey barrels and is the first ever Cuban rum with a smoked flavor.  This will be the third offering of the 2018 Tribute Collection and will have a production run of 2,500 bottles, with a retail price of $400. The aging process begins in Havana Club's oldest barrels, all over sixty years old, and ends in select smoked-whiskey barrels, probably provided by one of Pernod Ricard’s whiskey brands. 

The production of this latest edition to the Havana Club line is attributed to rum master Asbel Morales, and is being touted as a challenger to other high-end offerings. It was launched during the 2018 Havana Cigar Festival. Each bottle of this limited-edition rum will be sold in numbered, white-oak boxes, all signed by Asbel Morles. “This luxury rum aged in smoked-whiskey barrels is the manifestation of our Cuban heritage, mixed and aged for the modern rum consumer. We are proud to present Havana Club Tribute Edition 2018, a true Cuban rum with a unique flavor, which pays tribute to the influence different aging barrels have on the different varieties and styles of Cuban rum. This rum is also a tribute to the artisanal distilling that is possible within the Havana Club brand, and it is a celebration of the experience and passion of all of those who were involved in the distillation, aging, and mixing of this rum,” stated Asbel Morales at the presentation ceremony yesterday.

Cuban cigars suggested as accompaniments to this rum are Partagas Corona Gordo Anejo and the Montecristo Dantes Limited Edition 2016.

The 2018 Festival de Habanos was celebrated February 26 through March 2, 2018 in Havana.  

By Frank Gonzalez

February 28, 2018