Distillery

Havana Club

Havana Club is the rum the United States cannot legally buy. Outside America it is the export face of Cuba, a 50/50 venture between the Cuban state and Pernod Ricard, and the Caribbean's third-biggest rum brand. Inside America, a rival Havana Club made by Bacardi fights it in one of the longest trademark battles in drinks.

  • Iconic Cuban rum heritage
  • Great for classic cocktails
  • Consistent Spanish-style profile

RumX market intelligence

Updated weekly

Community score
6.8/10
ratings
1,892
bottles catalogued
164
available to buy now
28

Best value from Havana Club

Highest community ratings for the price, from live offers.

Available to buy now from Havana Club

In stock across our shops right now, by community rating.

Community purchases

5,799 bottles from Havana Club bought by the community.

+151 purchases in the last 3 months.

Added to collections, last 12 months.

as of

Browse all rums from Havana Club

Explore our complete collection. Filter by price, rating, distillery, age, and more to find your perfect rum.

Sort by

Filters

Rating

No rums found matching your criteria

Try adjusting your search criteria or clearing some filters.

The RumX Guide to Havana Club

From La Vizcaya to a global brand

The story starts in 1878, when José Arechabala bought a distillery in Cárdenas and named it La Vizcaya after his Basque homeland. His family launched the Havana Club brand in 1934, aimed at the American tourists pouring into Cuba during Prohibition. After the 1959 revolution the Arechabalas went into exile and never made rum again, and the Cuban state took the name forward, exporting it to the Soviet bloc.

The trademark war with Bacardi

Here it gets messy. The Arechabalas let the US trademark lapse in 1973, Cuban state exporter Cubaexport registered it in 1976, and in 1997 the exiled family sold their claim to Bacardi for 1.25 million dollars. Since then Bacardi has sold its own US-only Havana Club, now made in Puerto Rico, backed by US laws like Helms-Burton. Pernod Ricard even keeps a backup brand, Havanista, ready for the day the embargo lifts.

Two roneras, one method

Havana Club is distilled at two plants near Havana. Ronera Santa Cruz is the workhorse behind the younger rums, the Añejo Blanco and the 3 Años, which together are over 60 percent of all the brand ships. Ronera San José, built in 2007, makes the heavier aguardiente for the older and premium expressions. Both run column stills on 100 percent Cuban molasses, cutting a floral spirit at around 75 percent.

The cubano blending art

Cuban rum is built, not just aged. The aguardiente spends two years in American oak and is charcoal-filtered, then blended with a near-neutral spirit into base rums that are re-aged in old, neutral casks for slow oxidation. About a fifth of every 7 Año batch is blended back into younger rum, so a little very old spirit hides in each bottle. The maestros roneros, led by names like Asbel Morales, guard the whole craft.

Most popular vs highest rated

On RumX the 7 Años] is by far the most-reviewed Havana Club, the dependable everyday Cuban, while the premium Selección de Maestros] and the cigar-friendly Unión] sit a little higher in the low 8s. These are light, mixable rums built for the Mojito and the Daiquiri, so they score solid rather than spectacular, exactly what a Cuban house aims for.

How the crew scored it Havana Club

RumX's 0–10 scale is strict , 6.8 lands squarely in the "Pleasant" band. 34% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 17% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →

0–1
1–2
2–3
3–4
4–5
5–6
6–7
7–8
8–9
9–10

Flavour profile of Havana Club

Most frequently mentioned flavors

Aroma

Vanilla Woody Caramel Dried fruit

Taste

Woody Sweet Vanilla Tobacco

Frequently Asked Questions about Havana Club

Because of the US embargo on Cuban goods, the Cuban-made Havana Club cannot be sold there. A different Havana Club, made by Bacardi and now produced in Puerto Rico, is sold in the US under a separate trademark claim.

Outside the United States, Havana Club is a 50/50 joint venture between the Cuban state company Cuba Ron and the French group Pernod Ricard, set up in 1993. Cuba makes the rum; Pernod Ricard sells it worldwide.

Outside the US it is genuinely Cuban, distilled on the island and sold by Pernod Ricard. In the US it is a Bacardi product made in Puerto Rico, based on a trademark claim Bacardi bought from the founding Arechabala family.

At two distilleries near Havana. Ronera Santa Cruz makes the younger rums like the Añejo Blanco and 3 Años, while Ronera San José makes the heavier spirit for the older and premium expressions.

The 3 and 7 Años are the everyday staples and the heart of a good Mojito. The Selección de Maestros and the premium Unión sit at the top of the range and score highest with the RumX community.

RumX offers the world’s largest selection of rum through our innovative shop-in-shop marketplace, similar to Amazon. For Havana Club rums, we currently have 129 offers starting from €14.18 across 17 partner shops including delicando, Rum Piraten, Rum & Co, Rum Paradise, Klac, MALVA. Our platform compares prices in real-time from specialized rum retailers worldwide, ensuring you always find the best deals.

The RumX database currently contains 164 different rums from Havana Club. This includes various expressions, limited editions, and bottlings across different age statements and proof levels. Our community has contributed over 1892 reviews for Havana Club rums, making it one of the most comprehensive resources for exploring this brand’s full range. New releases are added regularly as they become available.

According to the RumX community, Havana Club Unión 40% is currently the highest-rated Havana Club rum with an impressive rating of 8.3/10 based on 41 reviews. This expression has earned praise for its exceptional quality and represents the pinnacle of what Havana Club has to offer. However, taste is subjective, and we encourage you to explore the full range to find your personal favorite.
All Havana Club discussions →
Price alerts · in the RumX app

Unlock the Full RumX Experience

Love rums from Havana Club? The journey doesn't stop here. Download the RumX app to explore an even more extensive selection of rums from Havana Club and around the world. With features like collection management, personalized recommendations, tasting notes, and a bustling community of rum enthusiasts, our free app offers the ultimate rum experience, right in your pocket.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
★ 4.8/5 on App Store & Play Store

Rating guide

RumX's 0–10 scale is strict. Here's what each band means.

9.0–10.0 Excellent Stash as many as you can afford. Tell no one.
8.0–8.9 Very good Bank a backup. Tell everyone you meet.
7.0–7.9 Good Buy one and recommend it to your friends.
6.0–6.9 Pleasant Solid, super glad I drank it.
5.0–5.9 Average Totally acceptable.
4.0–4.9 Drinkable Not vocally complaining.
3.0–3.9 Poor Wish I was drinking something else.
2.0–2.9 Very poor Nothing nice to say.
1.0–1.9 Unpleasant No, that's not for me.
0.1–0.9 Inedible Pour it out.