Cuba Forum by Havana Journal

Havana Club rum to restyle brand in 2010

2009-11-11T09:11:00-05:00

ACN

Several of the famous Havana Club rums will display a new image starting in 2010, reported the company’s directors in this capital.

Enrique Noste, sales and marketing manager for Cuba of Havana Club International, told ACN that the first changes will be made to the seven year aged rum, a brand that holds great acceptance and leads the super Premium dark rum products worldwide.

Noste explained that this strategy includes the making of a more stylish bottle, which evokes the craftsmanship of Cuban producers, like Juan Jose Navarro, maestro of the art of mixing different blends.

The design will also have notes and the signature of this renowned specialist, as well as a guarantee seal certifying the rum has been through a seven year long aging process, pointed out Noste.

Other changes are on the price, which is still under discussion with the main Havana Club clients, in order that, in due time, the modification will come into effect.

The company’s official said that they can talk at the moment of an increase in the sales volume, considering the same period in 2008.

Also, they are promoting on the Internet the Cuban mojito, through the Mojito.com website, as well as encouraging customers to make the traditional Cuban cocktails using Havana Club three year old rum.

According to Havana Club’s directors, this brand is commercialized in 125 countries, the main consumers being Germany, France, Chile and Greece.

Cuban rum brands and production information

2007-07-17T05:41:38-05:00

There are several brands of Cuban rum such as Ron Cubay, Ron Santiago de Cuba, Cuba Ron, Ron Varadero and of course Havana Club. In case you have not realized it, ron is the Spanish word for rum.

There is a great list of Cuban rums from the official Cuban rum site at CubaRon.com

Here is the list of Havana Club brands from Wikipedia:
* Anejo Blanco (Anejo means aged)
* Anejo 3 Anos
* Anejo Especial
* Anejo Reserva
* Anejo 7 Anos
* Anejo 15 Anos - Gran Reserva
* Anejo Solera - San Cristobal
* Extra Anejo - Maximo
* Cuban Barrel Proof

This is the official contact information for Cuba Ron:

Corporacion Cuba Ron, S.A.
Calle 200 #1708 esq. 17. Reparto Atabey. Playa, C. Habana. Cuba
Tel.: 336602-03, Fax: 336600
cubaron at cubaron dot co dot cu

Havana Club International, S.A.
Calle A No.309, entre 13 y 15, Vedado,
Ciudad de La Habana
Telefonos: 336597/99, 662566/67
Fax: 336598

Comercializadora Cuba Ron
Calle 44 No.305, entre 3ra. y 3ra.A, Miramar, Playa
Ciudad de La Habana
Telefonos: 2046275, 2042566
Fax: 2046231
Email: comercializadora at ccron dot cu

Lastly, here is an old article from Cigar Aficionado titled Rum Rundown that will give you LOTS of information about rum production in Cuba.

Here are there picks for best Cuban rums:

OUTSTANDING
Matusalem Anejo Superior
Havana Club seven years old
Ron Santiago 45 Aniversario
Havana Club Gran Reserva
Varadero seven years old

VERY GOOD
Havana Club three years old
Los Marinos Paticruzados five years old
Caribbean Club five years old
Havana Club five years old

Have you had Cuban rum? Do you collect old Cuban rum bottles? We would love to read about your experiences with Cuban rum.

Havana clubs new campaign is very cool.

2009-05-18T10:17:31-05:00

Hey there everybody,

I am just new on this forum but I thought I should share this with you guys. Havana Club just kicked off a pretty cool campaign in Holland, it’s called The Cuban Rum Club. In fact they organise rum secret tastings in basements thru the whole country. A perfect Cuban atmosphere.

you can check out a movie they shot on the first edition in Amsterdam on http://www.cubanrumclub.com.

Let me know what you think of it..
Enjoy, Ciao

Dylan

Havana Club rum makers in India to talk about production and distribution

2008-05-11T18:05:05-05:00

JAYANTH JACOB | TelegraphIndia.com

Havana Club rum and the Havana cigar have long been the bridge between revolutionary fervor and gentlemanly refinement. Now they are going to drive contact between India and Cuba.

Cuba�s post-Fidel Castro government wants the Havana Club rum bottled in India for the first time, and is sending a team to talk about it � perhaps over a few bottles of the liquid. If the deal is done, Indians can hope for cheaper Cuban rum.

The 19-member Cuban mission, which arrives on May 17 on an 11-day visit, will also be trying to push India�s import of the famed Havana cigar, which at well over Rs 1,000 a stick is becoming a craze in Indian high society.

Although business is high on the agenda of the team � headed by the deputy minister for foreign trade, Eduardo Escandell Amador � no memorandum of understanding is likely to be signed with the Indian government.

Amador will be calling on commerce minister Kamal Nath, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and junior foreign minister Anand Sharma, but it�s the Indian private sector he is interested in.

�Now the Havana Club rum will be bottled from India and it�s going to be one among the many important developments of this visit,� Nidia Banos Ojeda, the first secretary (trade, economic and scientific co-operation) at the Cuban embassy, told The Telegraph.

The Havana Club brand, established by Jose Arechabala in 1878, was nationalised after the Cuban revolution. But since 1993 the rum has been produced by Havana Club International, a 50:50 joint venture between French company Pernod Ricard and the Cuban government.

Pernod now sells many famed liquor brands in India, including the Glenlivet and Chivas Regal.

The Havana Club rum brands, which are not sold in the US, include Havana Club A�ejo Blanco, Havana Club A�ejo 3 A�os, Havana Club A�ejo Especial, Havana Club A�ejo 7 A�os, Havana Club A�ejo Reserva, Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof and Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo.

The team will also meet the two big names in the Havana cigar industry in India: Chetan Seth and K.K. Modi. Seth has been the dealer for hand-made Cuban cigars in India for some time now.

�Although Cuban cigars are available in India, the delegation will be meeting these two� so that the co-operation in the area can go up,� Ojeda said.

The Indian Left generally frowns on drinking but smoking is not taboo, although the comrades once used to pride themselves on their love of cheap brands. Except for the late Pramod Dasgupta, there is no known cigar smoker in the country�s communist pantheon unlike the Latin American revolutionary hall-of-famers such as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.

The Cuban delegation, the first to India since Castro stepped down, will also meet top officials of the Tatas, Reliance and Maruti. The team will be looking at co-operation in power transmission, transport, textile products, refrigeration components and new technology for Cuba�s famous sugar industry.

�This is the biggest trade delegation since 1980,� Ojeda said.

The current bilateral trade between the two countries is only $30 million, a 10th of what it was in the early 1980s before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Cuban Barrel Proof rum from Havana Club for sale in UK

2008-11-05T17:37:02-05:00

Nigel Huddleston | OffLicenseNews.co.uk

Pernod Ricard has launched a rum unusually bottled straight from the barrel in the UK market.

Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof is being targeted at specialist off-trade outlets and style bars and will have an retail price of �35.99 for a bottle of the 45% alcohol by volume rum.

The rum blend, created by Havana Club master distiller Jos� Navarro, is aged for an average of 10 years, before finishing in young oak for a woody aroma.

Vastimil Spelda, marketing director for spirits at Pernod Ricard UK, said: �It is perfect for short, stylish cocktails such as the Old-Fashioned or El Presidente which bring out the smoky flavors of the rum.

�It�s equally as good as a slow sipping rum served neat, or on the rocks.�

Havana Club rum experts travel to share their knowledge about Cuban rum

2008-11-02T14:36:37-05:00

Havana Club is bringing a team of top rum experts from Cuba to share their knowledge with New Zealanders.

�This is the first time that Cuban experts of this stature have visited New Zealand,� says Pernod Ricard’s Nigel Kelly, national brand ambassador for Havana Club. Pernod Ricard distributes the icon international Cuban rum brand in New Zealand.

Havana Club brand ambassador Miguel Angel Diaz Vargas and distinguished bartender Damian Dominguez Perez from Havana Club International will present a series of masterclasses to members of the New Zealand hospitality industry.

Damian Dominguez Perez, barman for Havana Club International since 2003, attended the International Bartenders Association 2005 world championship as a member of the Cuban delegation. He has visited more than 35 countries to share his knowledge of Havana Club.

Miguel Angel Diaz Vargas, Havana Club brand ambassador, has been working with the rum producer since 1999. Among his responsibilities was managing the Havana Club Music Band, a role which took him to more than 25 different countries. He became full-time brand ambassador earlier this year.

Their visit to New Zealand includes an exclusive celebration at the Cuban ambassador�s residence in Wellington on Tuesday 11 November. This event will be attended by dignitaries and select members of the New Zealand hospitality trade and media.

�The Cuban Embassy in New Zealand is delighted to welcome the Havana Club experts from Cuba. We look forward to them sharing the flavours and culture of Cuba so New Zealanders and Cubans can celebrate Cuba together,� says Mr Jose Luis Robaina Garcia, Ambassador for the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba, Wellington.

The masterclasses are presented in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Here, members of the New Zealand hospitality trade will gain first-hand information on the history, production and �culto de la vida� of Havana Club. This will be followed by an interactive cocktail training session.

One of the highlights of the masterclass is the opportunity to taste the rare Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof, a unique concept in rum. Hand-crafted by Cuba�s most respected distiller, Don Navarro, Havana Club Cuban Barrel Proof is a blend of different rums aged in old white-oak barrels. This blend is then put to rest in younger oak casks and finally bottled straight from the cask at 45% alc/vol without any dilution.

Since the founding of the La Vizcaya distillery in Cardenas in 1878, all Havana Club rum is made from premium, locally grown sugar cane. This cane typically produces molasses of low viscosity with a hint of acidity. Pure water, slow distillation, patient ageing and subtle blending are the keys to producing this superior rum.

Pernod Ricard offers four authentic Havana Club rums in New Zealand:

� Havana Club A�ejo Blanco is a light, white rum, the ideal mixer for refreshing cocktails such as the traditional Cuban national cocktail, the Mojito.

� Havana Club A�ejo Especial is a premium golden rum that combines the lightness of white rums and the robust aroma of dark rums. It is the perfect base for classic Cuban cocktails such as the Cuba Libre.

� Havana Club A�ejo Reserva is a subtle blend of many aged rums, selected to combine a powerful taste with a light aroma. It can be enjoyed neat, �a la roca� (on the rocks) or in an exceptional Cuba Libre.

� Havana Club A�ejo 7 A�os is composed from rums aged for a minimum of seven years in white oak barrels. One of the best aged rums in the world, this is best enjoyed with ice to enhance the complexity of the aroma.

The popularity of Havana Club is growing worldwide, with more than three million 9-litre cases sold over the last year.

Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo to be featured at travel retail stores

2008-09-23T20:12:56-05:00

By Matt Willey | Moodie Report

Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo rum will be showcased at TFWA World Exhibition in preparation for its retail debut, brand owner Pernod Ricard has confirmed.

Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo will be available to travel retail outlets in Europe from November 2008.

�Cannes will offer the perfect opportunity to showcase Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo in this glamorous travel retail environment,” said Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Europe Regional Marketing Manager John Smailes. “We are confident that now is the right time to introduce this ultra-premium reference to this sector.�

Reflecting its high end positioning, Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo is presented in a hand-blown crystal decanter; each individually numbered by master glassmaker Paul Miller.

Each decanter is encased in a wooden case, designed to represent the Cuban humidors that protect Havana cigars. The etched �Giraldilla� on the crystal stopper represents Havana Club�s strong links with Cuban history.

Handcrafted from rare extra-aged rums by Don Jos� Navarro, Havana Club�s premier Maestro Ronero, Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo is described as �the supreme expression of Cuban rum�.
Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo has been available in domestic markets since 2005 in the UK, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Russia, Greece, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal, Cuba, Mexico, Canada and Chile.

Havana Club M�ximo Extra A�ejo is presented in a hand-blown crystal decanter.

Cubanitos and Master rum making classes

2008-03-25T05:47:01-05:00

The Snug

The last time I was in Havana (he said, casually, as if I popped out there only all the time), I dropped into the (real and original) La Floridita and met its Head Barman Danel Gonzalez Hernandez. There followed a most enjoyable afternoon in the pleasant company of Mojitos, Margeuritas and Cubanitos.

Ever since then - and �though I�ve tried - I�ve never been able to make a Cubanito in anything approaching the light of Danel�s Cubanito despite constant practice (which doesn�t make perfect in this case).

I was therefore delighted to get the chance to quiz him again when I bumped into him in Solas on Camden Street in Dublin recently. And why was he there, some way away from the sunny streets of the Cuban capital?

Well, five Havana Club Master Classes recently took place here in three Dublin venues:

Caf� en Seine, La Floridita and in Solas. Fortunately for me, Danel was one of those helping run these Cuban Master Classes.

Over 150 top bartenders - mostly from Dublin key accounts - attended the training sessions to learn more about the fast-growing profile of Havana Club Rum.

The Cuban Master Class team trained and educated attendees in the history, production and �culto de la vida� of Havana Club.

Apart from Danel, the other team members comprised Ramses Villar - Havana Club Brand Ambassador, Miguel Angel Diaz Vargas � Assistant Brand Ambassador and Dami�n Michel Domingues Perez - Barman promoter for Havana Club.

An interactive cocktail training session followed the presentation.

Havana Club International SA recently announced that Havana Club rum has surpassed the three million (nine-litre) case sales mark � a 15 per cent increase year-on-year . The impressive figures should now see the brand enter the Impact Top 30 and ensure it�s firmly on track to achieve its ambition of five million nine litre cases by 2013.

Between now and then, I might learn to make the perfect Cubanito�.

Cubai Rum and Palma Mulata Cuban rums launched at Havana Trade Fair

2007-11-09T04:54:16-05:00

Prensa Latina

Two excellent new brands of rum became available Thursday during the Havana International Trade Fair at ExpoCuba, where businesspeople from 53 nations are participating.

The first of these is an aged and pure Cubai rum, from Cuba Rum Corporation, which markets in Spain, Italy, Mexico, Russia and other nations, explained Cuba Rum Corp. Vice President Juan Gonzalez.

The idea is to produce quality liquors for enjoyment beyond commercial objectives, and 10,000 cases of this new rum will be produced by next year, he said.

Cuba Rum already distills the famous Havana Club and Santiago rums, famous on the international market.

The second new rum, launched today at the Havana National Hotel and also on exhibit at the Trade Fair is “Palma Mulata Reserva Real” distilled by the Cuban Sugarcane Derivatives Institute (ICIDCA).

ICIDCA director Luis Galvez explained the slave era origins of Cuban rum, made from sugarcane. The Palma Mulata has been aged 12 years and comes in six-bottle cases.

Good summary on Cuban rum Havana Club trademark

2007-10-03T04:03:56-05:00

The apparently never-ending fight over the trademark for �Havana Club� rum made a detour through the Office of Foreign Assets Control and into the Federal District Courtroom of Judge Royce Lamberth. At issue was an OFAC decision that effectively denied the renewal of the registration of the �Havana Club� trademark in the United States.

Judge Lamberth�s decision, released last Thursday, had something for everyone. For the Cuban side his order required that OFAC provide more documentation of why it appeared to have held that the general license for transactions in connection with Cuban trademark renewals wasn�t applicable. For the OFAC-Bacardi side, Judge Lamberth held that OFAC licensing decisions were immune from judicial review (which, no doubt, led to much rejoicing and merriment, perhaps even some dancing, in the halls of OFAC).

For those of you who haven�t followed the peregrinations of the struggle between Bacardi and Pernod-Ricard over the Havana Club rum trademark (and I assume that�s almost everyone), here is a short �Havana Club for Rummies.� Pernod-Ricard bases its claim to the trademark based on a transfer by Cubaexport of the trademark to Havana Club Holdings SA (�HCH), a joint-venture between the Cubans and Pernod-Ricard. Bacardi bases its claim to the trademark on a purchase of the rights to trademark from the exiled members of the Arechabala family. The Arechabalas had produced Havana Club in Cuba until their distilleries were seized by Castro in the 1960s.

Read the rest of the story here.