Tasting

What does Cuban rum taste like? Mostly smooth, dry, and calm. Young bottlings smell of vanilla, a touch of caramel, and pale wood, while older ones bring dried fruit, cocoa, and tobacco. Sharp alcohol notes are rare, since the distillate has passed through activated charcoal.

Three Havana Club bottlings from the Mayabeque distilleries serve as examples: Añejo Blanco, Añejo 3 Años, and Añejo 7 Años. The Blanco is light and fresh, the three-year-old carries more caramel, and the seven-year-old is the richest, showing toasted notes and dried fruit. These are tasting descriptions, not a ranking.

A nosing glass that narrows toward the top concentrates the aroma, though a small tumbler works fine for everyday use. At room temperature, around 18 to 20 degrees Celsius, the vanilla shows best; in the cold, the rum closes up. Smell first, then take a small sip and spread it across the palate.

Whether with or without water is a matter of taste. At around 40 percent alcohol, a single drop is enough to open up the wood notes, while more dilutes the subtle aromatics. Neat, it's mainly the matured bottlings that shine, whereas the Añejo Blanco is designed for mixed drinks.

A side-by-side comparison helps: the Blanco and the seven-year-old in the same glass, one after the other, with water in between to reset the palate. The difference then lies mainly in the wood and the length of maturation, not in the distillate. Both rums come from column distillate; one has simply spent longer in the cask.