🥃 Havana Club
A rum brand created in Cuba in 1934 by the Arechabala family; outside the US it is sold by Pernod Ricard and a Cuban state company, while the US has a separate Bacardi version.
Havana Club is a rum brand created in Cuba in 1934 by the family company José Arechabala. After the revolution the brand was nationalised, and today two sides dispute the right to the name: outside the US it is sold by Pernod Ricard and a Cuban state company in a joint venture, while in the US there is a separate version made by Bacardi. The matter is described as disputed.
The history from open sources is as follows. The Arechabala family company operated from Cárdenas, and after the 1959 revolution its assets, according to The Spirits Business, were seized; another source dates the nationalisation to 1960, so we do not fix the exact year. In 1993 Pernod Ricard and the Cuban government created the joint venture Corporación Cuba Ron, which sells Havana Club worldwide except the US. In 1994 Bacardi acquired the recipe from the Arechabala family and registered the brand in the US, and Bacardi makes its own variant in Puerto Rico.
The dispute has several levels. In the US, the Cuban side's trademark was renewed in 2016 until 2026, and Bacardi challenged it; according to available data, in January 2025 a US federal court dismissed Bacardi's claim over the renewal. In Spain, according to the same source, Pernod Ricard's right has been confirmed several times. We do not judge who is right: both companies state that their rum is the genuine one, and there is no neutral confirmation of this.
The product: the range includes Añejo 3 Años (three years of ageing), Añejo 7 Años (a dark rum aged seven years) and Selección de Maestros at 45% ABV. Production, according to available data, has been based in Santa Cruz del Norte since 1977. The producer does not disclose the composition or cask type in open sources.
Why this matters to you. Under the name Havana Club there are two different bottles, Cuban and Puerto Rican, sold in different countries. Read the country of production and the age (Añejo 3 or 7 years) on the label: strength and taste depend on the version. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1934, José Arechabala S.A. (Cuba); joint venture of Pernod Ricard and the Cuban state since 1993 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Reg. (EU) 2019/787, Annex I, cat. 1 (rum); rights to the name are disputed in courts of different countries |
| EU category | 1: rum |
| Raw material | sugar cane products (per the EU definition of rum); our sources do not name the exact raw material |
| Minimum maturation | Añejo 3 Años: 3 years; Añejo 7 Años: 7 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | depends on the version; Selección de Maestros: 45% ABV |
What it includes
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Havana Club → kind of → 🌴 Rum and sugarcane spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Sugar cane and molasses
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🌴 Rum and sugarcane spirits, 🥃 Rum
- Related to
- 🌍 Latin America
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Captain Morgan, 🥃 Captain Morgan, 🥃 Ron Zacapa, 🥃 Tanduay, 🥃 Captain Morgan Private Stock, 🥃 Captain Morgan White Rum, 🥃 Old Monk, 🥃 Old Monk, 🥃 Diplomático, 🥃 Pernod Ricard, 🥃 Cuba Libre
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that there are two different Havana Clubs?
Yes. Outside the US, rum made in Cuba by the joint venture of Pernod Ricard and a Cuban state company is sold, while in the US it is Bacardi's version, made in Puerto Rico.
Who has the right to the name Havana Club?
The matter is disputed and is being heard by courts in different countries. Both sides consider their version genuine, so we do not settle the dispute.
When was Havana Club created?
In 1934, in Cuba, at the family company José Arechabala.
Which versions are in the range?
Añejo 3 Años, Añejo 7 Años and Selección de Maestros at 45% ABV.
Where is Cuban Havana Club made now?
According to available data, in Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba, since 1977.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🌍 Latin America — A region from Mexico to the south of South America: about 9% of the world's milk, dulce de leche and fresh cheeses, Argentine and Chilean wines, olives.
- 🥃 Captain Morgan — Rum brand of Diageo; its flagship product is the spiced Original Spiced Gold, made with vanilla, natural flavours and spice.
Similar
🥃 Old Monk · 🥃 Captain Morgan · 🥃 Stroh · 🥃 Božkov · 🥃 Bacardi 151 · 🥃 Ron Zacapa
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Shanken News Daily: Bacardi's «Forever Cuban» campaign reignites Havana Club battle (4.01.2018): хронологія 1973–2017
- The Spirits Business: Pernod Ricard vs Bacardi, Havana Club (7.12.2017)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Art. 2 and Annex I
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)