Quick Fire Rum Tasting Notes

Havana Club Tributo 2020

Cuban Rum

40% ABV

Nose: An affluently alluring abundance of espresso coffee, vanilla bean paste and a bar of Lindt 70% dark chocolate. Along with stewed stoned fruits, Frank Coopers muscovado marmalade, spiced poached pears, Werther's Originals, sugared almonds, a slice of Delia’s creole Christmas cake, Luxardo Maraschino cherries, polished oak furniture, dried leather, tobacco leaf and subtle yet confident suggestions of smoke.

Palate: A decadently delicious duo of espresso coffee and a slice of black forest gateau. Along with a bar of Cadbury Bournville Old Jamaica chocolate, tea stewed prunes, mixed candied peel, Monin vanilla syrup, oak infused kirsch liqueur, anise, ground cinnamon, a grate-ette of nutmeg, wood spice, a tease of sweet smoke and a hint of something very Angostura bitters-esque.

Finish: A long lip lickingly lush and sassily spiced finish, which is fully rounded, rewarding and dare I say rum-arkable! 

Summary: This is the fifth Tributo bottling from Havana Club, a series which uses some of the distillery’s oldest rum stocks and pays tribute to the history of rum production in Cuba. Since launching in 2016, these bottles have become an annual rum release highlight. I have to say that I wasn’t completely bowled over by last year’s bottling, but the 2020 edition is a beauty and has well and truly restored my faith in what has otherwise been a delicious series of rums. Roll on 2021!