It’s Israel’s 66th independence day! (yes, before that we were part of the British empire, or what was left of it…) anyways, to celebrate this day which here consists of mainly BBQ on every piece of green grass, or just any spot (some people were spotted doing that in the middle of the road, between lanes. go figure). And what better than to celebrate a hot Independence day (over 30C tomorrow which is cooler than today if you’re wondering…) than with a RUM.
I’m quite a fan, but not a real expert when it comes to Rums. Sure, I’ve tasted the good ones here and there, attended some Rum tasting sessions, and mix a nice drink with Rum, but I’ve yet to experience the entire spectrum, so any new Rum i get to try is appreciated. How did I end up tasting this one you ask? Well, you know the saying: “My friend Shai went to Italy for a cigar event and all i got was this lousy Rum” . Kidding of course, as I’m very thankful to Shai who’s always sending the right kind of booze bombs to many of us. He succeeded in scoring a bottle and sent it to a few people (bloggers are people too! yes) asking them to try it. Israeli mail sucks big time, and the samples arrived later than expected (he posted some to the NL and they got there quicker than inside Israel, go figure!).
the PR babble say that:
Havana Club Selección de Maestros represents the ultimate expression of the extraordinary collaboration between the members of the Maestros Roneros Guild of Cuba, led by the talented Don Jose Navarro.
Selección de Maestros” is a Triple Barrel Aged rum, fruit of a unique process of elaboration:
First, the Maestros Roneros gather and select the finest and most exceptional aged rums.
These rums are then blended and placed for further ageing in barrels carefully selected for the aromatic properties of their wood, in which the rum will develop its character and intensity.
Finally, the Maestros Roneros get together a second time to select the rums that have perfectly matured. They will make up the final blend, bottled straight from the barrel at 45% ABV.
let’s get tasting, neat.
Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros , 45.0% , £44
Nose: Sweet and rather spicy with pepper, burnt sugar maple and ginger on the nose hints of nut pie and oak. Quite nice.
Palate: Butterscotch and ripe orange, ginger and pepper too. Oak and creamy chocolate with a nice bitterness towards the end. Dark chocolate and espresso bean filled praline with butterscotch and caramel filling. Yes.
Finish: Bitter chocolate. Espresso and sugared orange peel.
This is a really nice, and easy to drink sort of rum, a nice mouth feel and lovely to sip neat, as well as for mixing. Definetly a very appropriate summer drink.
Many thanks to Shai and Havana Club for sharing.