Review: Havana Club Selección de Maestros Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 20, 2012

Havana Club’s new Selección de Maestros Rum is an authentic Cuban rum that has recently replaced the Havana Club Barrel Proof in the portfolio of Havana Club Rums. It is my understanding that the Selección de Maestros is produced in the same manner as the Havana Club Barrel Proof, and any differences between the two rums are more a matter of normal variations in batch production than any real difference between the rums.

The rum undergoes a rather unique maturation process where it is first aged in old white oak barrels, and when the final rum is blended, it is then finished in specially ‘selected’ younger finishing casks. I have heard of this ‘Double Barrel’ approach with whisky, but the Havana Club Barrel Proof and now its replacement, the Selección de Maestros, is the first rum that I know of which uses older white oak maturation casks and then younger fresh oak finishing casks.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… The immediate nose is of sweet toffee, with a nice complement of cinnamon. Nutmeg and cloves work their way into the breezes along with a little oak, some hot orange peel and a touch of green tobacco. As the glass sits, the aroma of toffee intensifies making the rum seem very attractive, which of course leads me to steal a sip …”

You may read the full review here: