Havana Club Ron Perla del Norte Blanca

Havana Club's Ron Perla del Norte Blanca is a white Cuban rum in the island's signature ron ligero tradition, where molasses is fermented quickly, run through a column still and charcoal-filtered to strip the spirit back toward lightness. It is the archetype that gives a daiquiri or mojito its backbone rather than a pour meant for slow sipping.

There is little artifice here, and not a great deal of weight either. The nose carries an unusual note of tobacco that lends it a touch more character than the usual budget white, while the palate is clean, simple and on the thin and alcoholic side when taken neat. At 40% this is best understood as a mixing rum, a step up in personality from the cheapest blancos but built for the shaker, not the glass.