Havana Club, the leading rum in the global super-premium and above category[1], has released the fourth instalment in its luxury range of ultra-prestige rums – Havana Club Tributo 2019. With only 2,500 bottles available, the new expression was unveiled this week at the Habanos Festival (Havana, Cuba) to cigar lovers, spirits connoisseurs and collectors alike.

The Tributo Collection is a series of annual limited editions created with the finest aged rum bases from cellar reserves that showcase the variety and richness in flavour from the best that Cuban rum has to offer. Havana Club Tributo 2019 edition pays tribute to the art and science of blending – the ultimate touch of hand given by the Maestros del Ron Cubano, Masters of Cuban Rum, to all Havana Club rums before bottling.

To create this year’s release edition, three generations of Maestros came together for a blending exercise, including; Don José Navarro, Primer Maestro del Ron Cubano; Asbel Morales, Maestro del Ron Cubano; and Salomé Aleman, the first and only female Maestra del Ron Cubano. Each one of them selected a rare and extra-aged rum base, representing their own style, and the laid down in the decade of their appointment (1970s, 1990s, 2010s respectively). The bases, including one that has been matured in rare Cognac casks, were combined and finally blended again with a rum that has rested for over 25 years in French oak barrels.

This magnificent creation is in honour of the passion, knowledge and collaboration of the Masters of Cuban Rum and represents the evolution of the craftsmanship in Cuban rum from generation to generation. The rich, gold liquid offers a balanced aroma and taste, with sweet notes of dry fruits, highly evolve oak and subtle flavors of vanillin and dried fruits, especially roasted almond.

Havana Club Tributo 2019 is presented in a luxury wooden box, crafted in 0ff-white wood, with orange cues evoking the deep, bright, amber colour of the rum. The Cuban star has been included in the design of the bottle neck and label, denoting the authentic origin of this unique ultra-prestige rum. Each bottle is numbered, and each box is personalised with the signature of the three Masters as a mark of the ultimate guarantee of quality.

Havana Club Tributo 2019 is bottled at 40% ABV, and will be available in over 20 markets, from March 2019 at the RRP of €400 per 70cl bottle.

Asbel Morales, Havana Club’s Maestro del Ron Cubano, commented: “Once again, the Havana Club Tributo collection praises the richness and variety of styles that form the base of the authentic Cuban rum category. Each rum in the Tributo range uniquely focuses on a different element of the production process, from our ancient rum bases to cask experimentation, and the 2019 edition continues this story by honouring the craftsmanship of three of the Maestros del Ron Cubano. It has been a privilege to craft Havana Club Tributo 2019 with Don José Navarro and Salomé Aleman and pay homage to the Masters of Cuban Rum, past and present, whose commitment to quality has always ensured that Havana Club has the very best rums in the world.”

Nick Blacknell, Global Marketing Director at Havana Club International, added: “We are so proud to present the latest addition in the Havana Club Tributo range, a true collector’s range that tells the authentic story of Cuban rum production, using some of the most precious liquids that lie in the Havana Club cellars. From our launch at the Habanos Festival to discerning bars and specialist rum suppliers, we are very confident that the range will continue to appeal to connoisseurs of prestige whiskey and rum around the world.”