Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros

Review #1048; Rum #376

Amongst the rums I have reviewed there is a country that is globally renown for their rum that I haven’t tried much from. That country of course is Cuba. Now there are a couple of reasons for that, a pesky embargo from the United States on Cuba makes their rum a bit of a challenge to get (though not too difficult give the right websites). The other reason is that amongst the Jamaica’s, Guyana’s, Barbados’s, and St. Lucian’s I didn’t see much of a reason to dabble in this rum. However given that the Seleecion de Maestros “have been hand-chosen by the Master Rum-Makers at the Cuban distillery, using the oldest stocks in Havana Club’s reserves” and its bumped up to a respectable 45% abv I should give it another fair shake. Plus how could I not want to try one of the rums that Lance over at https://thelonecaner.com/r0932/ considers a key rum of the world.


Distillery: Various in Cuba

Bottler: Havana Club

Region: Cuba

Still: Column

ABV: 45%.


Nose:  Toasted coconut, faint tobacco leaf, orange peel, vanilla, sandalwood, black pepper

Palate: Medium mouthfeel, orange peel, sandalwood, faint tobacco leaf, toasted coconut, vanilla

Finish:  Medium length finish, orange peel, sandalwood, toasted coconut, vanilla, black tea


Conclusion: This is a very good rum. The flavors here are quite nice and approachable. The abv carries the flavor well and this falls into quintessential no thinking required rum. You can sit with it and mull over its subtle flavors or just sip and enjoy. Good fruit flavors and some spices to balance it out make for a very enjoyable rum.

Final Score: 6/10

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect