Rum Wars: Havana Club Vs… Havana Club

Words by Jesse Serwer—

For years, two different Havana Club rums have been produced in two different countries by two different companies. A legacy of the now 53-year-old U.S.-Cuba trade embargo, the situation has recently been the subject of a battle between the US and the EU (along with Cuba) on the floor of the World Trade Organization. Yep, a bottle of rum is the source of strained relations between the world’s superpowers.

Confused? The story of Havana Club goes something like this. José Arechabala founded the brand in Cuba in 1878. Cuba forcibly took control of the distillery and company following the revolution of 1959, leading Arechabala’s heirs, like many other prominent Cuban business owners, to flee. While the 1960 U.S. trade embargo with Cuba meant Havana Club could no longer be imported into what had been its top market, its Santa Cruz del Norte distillery has continued to produce rum for the international market through a venture with France’s Pernod Ricard, which sells Havana Club in over 100 countries. Through a copyright loophole enabled by the embargo, Bacardi, meanwhile, began selling its own Havana Club white rum a few years back, which it claims is based on the original recipe acquired from the Arechabala family.

That product, made in Puerto Rico by Bacardi and sold solely in the U.S., became the subject of trademark violation litigation by Pernod Ricard, after U.S. courts allowed the once-Cuban rum behemoth to use the name. The World Trade Organization struck down that ruling in 2002, but the U.S. has yet to comply, and the dispute remains unsettled, with the U.S. continuing to permit Bacardi use of the Havana Club name.

Last year it was reported that this lingering remnant of the Cold War was over. However, it turns out that’s not the case: just last week, the Havana Club war returned to the floor of the WTO, and things got heated.

While the diplomats wrestle over legalities, the debate we’re most interested in is about taste. Naturally, we’d have to give it to the Cuba-produced original, which is available in a variety of ages and styles, and for which we’ve stated our affinity before. But Bacardi claims to have the original recipe, so there’s must have merits as well. Rum massive, speak: which is the superior product?