ive years ago Havana Club surprised the market with its Tributo 2016, in explicit reverence to the know-how of the Cuban Rum Masters and days before those skills -exponents of traditions and Cuban craftsmanship- will be declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation. Today, after five issues under the “Tribute” label, comes a new and authentic tribute to the creators of our rum, another Tribute.

The news this time is no less surprising. When the 2020 edition of that series was presented last year, as a summary of the previous four (2016 was a tribute to the knowledge of the rum masters; 2017 valued sugar cane and Cuban brandy; 2018 was dedicated to natural aging and the white oak barrel, while the 2019 edition to the art of blending and the latest generations of Maestros), it was thought to be “a closing of the cycle” and with it, perhaps, of this particular collection.

Certainly, says Maestro Asbel Morales, 2021 was a challenge, because it was necessary to think, to create something different, “but there will always be something that Tributo will have to show”. For that reason, and following the tribute, “we wanted to make a summary of the five editions, but with a particular salute to that of 2016.”

 

The Tributo Collection is a series of limited editions, created from Havana Club’s best reserves of aged rums. In the case of Tributo 2021, Morales selected the blends from the first Tributo release and kept them for a year in white wine barrels from Oporto (Portugal).

 

The Tributo Collection is a series of limited editions, created from the finest Havana Club

It is the first alliance, Morales stresses, between two products that share a very peculiar history and know-how. Port, which means “river of gold,” is a fortified wine, meaning that wine alcohol is added to interrupt the fermentation process, thus increasing both the alcohol content and the concentration of sugars.

Port, which means “river of gold,” is a fortified wine.

The result of this “Havana Club-Oporto” merger is Tributo 2021, presented today, Wednesday, May 5, by Havana Club International S.A. (HCI) in the context of the Festival del Habano, which is taking place for the first time virtually due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

The inside of the cedar box that holds the bottle warns of the “delicious herbal flavor enriched by subtle notes of grapes, nuts and coffee,” while Morales also highlights the deep amber color of this rum that, at the same time, exhibits “transparency and brilliance,” with an aroma of fresh tropical fruits and the irreplaceable note of eau-de-vie distilled dozens of years ago. “A completeness of flavors.”

Tributo 2021, HCI specifies, will be marketed before the end of May in some 15 international markets (mainly in Europe) with a price per bottle of 400 Euros. In the case of Cuba, it will be sold -at 11,500 CUP- in high-standard hotels, liquor stores and other specialized points of sale.

Of the 2,500 numbered bottles that make up this limited edition, some 300 are included for the domestic market, says Heydi Hernández Domínguez, head of the Havana Club & Pernod Ricard brand.

This Thursday, May 6, as part of the Habano Festival, a pairing between Tributo 2021 and Cohiba Espléndidos will take place. From the digital platform enabled for the event, participants will be able to admire, once again, the natural relationship that exists between Cuban rum and tobacco, two cultural expressions of the island.