Havana Club 7 Años Añejo

Rating: 11/23 I wasn't blown away by the Havana Club Selección De Maestros, but I thought it was pretty good. This is substantially less expensive and I'm hoping it will by like my experience with Bacardi 8 and Bacardi Reserva Limitada where despite the big price difference the quality was similar. N: much bolder than the Maestros. I'm getting a bunch of richness like in Pusser's (kind of roasted?). There's a very faint meatiness unfortunately. A hint for orange zest. Tads of vanilla and caramel. Wood hits me as I bring it up to my mouth to sip. P: This is a lot sweeter than I'd expected. It's sort of wood and sugar. The age tastes kind of artificial and the alcohol certainly shows through. There are some tropical fruits, with green banana being the most prominent. Roasted flavor with some vanilla. This isn't very complex and although it is rich that richness tastes kind of faked. I'm not enjoying sipping it. F: Dry and roasted with a bit of an artificial sweetness to it. - Conclusion - The Maestros is way better than this. It's more mature and sophisticated. This is bolder, but it's a bit of a faceplant. Maybe that's too harsh. There's alcohol flavor and harshness. The other flavors largely taste fake - or at least poorly executed. This isn't bad, but it's not very good and I wouldn't recommend it as a mixer either because the low proof and sweetness give it kind of a weak middle. The rich roastiness is growing on me though. I certainly wouldn't go down to a 9, but I think a 12 is the maximum I could give this. Eh, I'll go with 11.

I am on the fence with this one. Love it and hate it on the same time. Very easy on the nose and on the taste as well. Has a hint of bitterness lingering in the back that causes most of my dislike perhaps. I was expecting a more fruity and sweet scent and taste, but instead I got a heavier more rugged experience, one I would expect from other spirits. My mind says rum, but my taste buds say something else. For a final verdict I would say it's very good and a serious drink, but I feel like there are better options out there which I haven't found yet.

A sweet nose with banana & vanilla, some smokey notes & pineapple follow with the alcohol grain at the end. The tatse starts sweet but instantly the alcohol burn follows. Even after adding water it still burns a little but the sweetness starts to come through too, there's a little sugar & banana, faint pineapple but not a whole lot else. It falls somewhere in between a straight up mixer & a supper, I'd probably lean closer to the former though.

Not strongly smell or taste, this is one delicious rum. Yes, there is a lot of better rums out there, but this one is widely common with decent taste for the buck. The taste is sweet, chocolate and almonds, molasses with little burn. It is the kind of versatile rum, ready for some (heavy) sipping or in some fine cocktails.

Aromas of nutmeg, pineapple, underripe banana, vanilla, and cinnamon. Light and rounded in the mouth. Palate shows more cinnamon, nutmeg, underripe banana, and vanilla, along with orange peel and fennel seed. Finishes smooth and relatively long. 3.25/5.00 – Quite Good (neat)

*DISCLAIMER My reviews are not palate reviews, they are based on “am I going waste my money on a bottle of this or save my money for something better”* If you like sweet honey-like dark rum that can be drank neat, on the rocks or mixed; this is the one.