New Cuban Rum Hits the Shelves with Gold Medal

A new Cuban spirit –Cuban Barrel Proof- that went gold at a beverage and liquor fair in the U.S. city of Chicago promises to make the most demanding drinker’s day.

In addition to the gold medal at the prestigious International Review of Spirits 2004 in Chicago, Illinois, the new Cuban rum walked off with a Certificate of Exceptionality in a contest that gathered 56 of the world’s best spirits, a spokesperson for the distillers told Caribbean News Digital.

French agriculture engineer Philippe Coutin, 39, took over this week as new director of Havana Club International S.A., a joint venture forged between CubaRon and France’s Pernod Ricard.

The partnership saw the light of day in 1993 with a mission to spread Cuban rum all around the world as much as possible.

From now on, Cuban Barrel Proof will rub elbows with the company’s top products, like 15-Year and 7-Year Gold Aged Dry spirits. For the time being, though, the new brand will only be available at duty-free stores and at the Old Havana Rum Museum at a price tag of $38 a bottle.

Last year, Havana Club International was mired in a bitter lawsuit with U.S. competitor Bacardi, but eventually won the legal battle for registered trademarks in the world market.

However, the company’s biggest success is the sale of at least two million cases of 9-lt. bottles a year, with the European market taking the lion’s share of overseas shipments.

Featuring an amber-like color that really meets the eye, Cuban Barrel Proof sports a reddish halo and gives off a slight smell of caramel that reminds drinkers of nuts and cigars.

Its 45 degrees of alcohol carry a mighty kick in it and allow blends with cacao and coffee. The hard-and-soft flavor puts an even more interesting spin on it and paves the way for future success.

Jose Navarro, Cuba’s leading rum maker who’s penciled in as the creator of the new era of Cuban spirits, was behind the project from the word go.

Now, Havana Club International is putting eight rums in the world market: Silver Dry, 3-Year Silver Dry, Golden Aged, Special Aged, 7-Year Aged Dry, Cuban Barrel Proof, 15-Year Aged Rum and San Cristobal de La Habana.

The company, that also grabbed the Global Design Award for the 7-Year Aged Dry Rum bottle at the Chicago tradeshow, had also nabbed gold medals in 1995 and 1997 for its 7-Year Golden Aged Rum and the Reserve Aged Dry.