Havana Club Tributo 2020

Havana Club's annual Tributo bottlings are limited releases blended by maestro ronero Asbel Morales, and the 2020 edition shows the Cuban house working well above its standard tier. Built from molasses distilled on column stills in the light ron ligero tradition, it is then carried by careful cask selection into far richer territory than the abv alone would suggest, full and oily for a rum bottled at 40%.

The aroma is layered and savoury: caramel, dried fruit, pecan and a clear thread of pipe tobacco. On the palate it turns intense, dried fruit and cigar leaf wrapped in well integrated tannin and a faint smokiness, the kind of depth Cuban rum rarely shows at this strength. The finish is long and elegant, oak and vanilla over a lingering smoky warmth. A rum that quietly asks to be nosed slowly rather than rushed, and one of the more accomplished Spanish-style sippers in this range.