Strayvector
Like what you smoke, smoke what you like
On this last trip back to the US, I stopped at the duty free shops at Heathrow and picked myself up a little present. It was the Havana Club Barrelproof rum from Cuba. The salesman at the duty free shop told me that the HC Barrelproof is a special blend for the UK market and is aged 10-12 years versus 7-10 for the HC 7 year old. I usually just pick up the Havana club 7 year old and 3 Year old for mixing, but this time I decided what the heck, I need something other than the Havana Club 7 year old or Woodford Reserve as a straight drink to go with the cigars.
Got home, and on our anniversary, we cracked open the bottle to go with the Trinidad Robusto Extras. We sat by the pool, lit up the cigars and took a sip. WOW...WOW. What a great cigar and what a great rum. I'll post my review of the cigar in the proper section, so I'll just review the rum here.
The rum itself was a very clear light caramel color, then I added a couple of ice cubes to mine. The aroma was was a tad smoky, with hints of spiced fruit and nuts. Best way to describe it is that it is a subtle smell of Christmas fruit cake. The taste had hints of vanilla, spiced apple, caramel and that unmistakable cane juice. With the melting ice, it produced some nice woody flavor with a peppery taste like that of fresh cracked pepper. The rum was 90 proof, well balanced, unbelievably smooth, and very flavorful. What an incredible liquor, definitely a step above the 7 year old. Probably the best rum I've ever tasted and has supplanted the Woodford Reserve as the drink of choice for pairing with a good cigar.
Got home, and on our anniversary, we cracked open the bottle to go with the Trinidad Robusto Extras. We sat by the pool, lit up the cigars and took a sip. WOW...WOW. What a great cigar and what a great rum. I'll post my review of the cigar in the proper section, so I'll just review the rum here.
The rum itself was a very clear light caramel color, then I added a couple of ice cubes to mine. The aroma was was a tad smoky, with hints of spiced fruit and nuts. Best way to describe it is that it is a subtle smell of Christmas fruit cake. The taste had hints of vanilla, spiced apple, caramel and that unmistakable cane juice. With the melting ice, it produced some nice woody flavor with a peppery taste like that of fresh cracked pepper. The rum was 90 proof, well balanced, unbelievably smooth, and very flavorful. What an incredible liquor, definitely a step above the 7 year old. Probably the best rum I've ever tasted and has supplanted the Woodford Reserve as the drink of choice for pairing with a good cigar.
