Bacardi -Ron Superior -Ron Cubano

As some of you may know, I'm a Rum FANATIC. Aside from mojito's and daquiri's, I tend to always drink Rum straight and in a Cogniac glass.

Some History

Rum, or Rhum as the Brit's call it, comes from the word Rhumbus, a name given because of it's violent taste and potent Alchohol content that allegedly sent it's drinkers into a fighting frenzy. It was only during the 19th Century that there was a rush to refine Rum, to take the violence out of it, and the aging process of Cogniac became the standard.

Bueno, along comes Bacardi who indeed tamed rum. Not only did he develop an effective aging process that made Cogniac quality Rum (Bacardi 8 is this original formula), but he was the first to refine Rum to the crystal clear product that we call White Label. The powers that were in Spain, however, did not call it White Label: they called it Ron Superior. For the first time in history Rum was tamed both in flavor and in color without having damaged the inherit properties or alchohol content.

As a matter of fact there are very few companies today who have come close to achieveing Bacardi's Superior Rum. The only three good White Label rums off the top of my head is Puerto Rico's Rodrigo, Jamaica's Appleton, and the Dominican (formerly Cuban)Matusalem.

Bacardi falls behind a little in the Dark Rum catagory that (Matusalem's Añejo, Jamaica's Appleton 21 and Haiti's Barbancourt 18 are phenominal and pretty tough to beat.)

Nevetheless it is the white label category, that made and has kept Barcardi the official Ron Superior.

Case in point:

During my visit through the middle east several of the guys and I finished this God awful bottle of cheap British white label Rum. Yes, this Rum was clear as crystal, pero coño it tasted like shit. It was so bad that I thought it had a higher proof, like Bacardi 151, but no it was the standard 80 proof.

The next day, and to my surprise I find in the kitchen a bottle of Havana Club White Label: Añejo Blanco. I wasn't sure who exactly got, but my curiousity was killing me. All the copyright controversy between Bacardi, Pernod Ricard and Havana Club began to swell in my mind. The controversy over Havana Club's claim that the title Ron Superior pertained to the Cuban Sugar Cane and not Barcadi's secret Charcol distilling method began perk within. I'm confident enough about my knowledge of Rum, that I can make a fair judgement on this product's quality.

I pick up the bottle and immediately notice that it is not in fact white, but straw colored. I pour myself a little and take a swig, trying to hold back my hatred for Castro and the knowledge of how many people suffered to make this product, I examine the taste.

It tasted like a weaker version of that shitty British rum.

At first, I tried to reason this with the idea that Havana club's primary seller is Britain and so they have to cater the product to their audience. And so I was somewhat sympathetic to the Rum, until I checked out the proof: 70.

It is a weaker version of that shitty, or any piece of crap rum for that matter.

Thinking more about it, you can take the cheapest Gold Label Rum you can find ADD WATER and not only will you simulate Havana Club's straw color and tamed flavor, but you will also have the lower alchohol level from about 80 proof to 70.

Cuba, once known for it's Ron Superior has succumbed to selling piss water.

Okay, so what's the point?

This is one of the many examples how the oppression of one's freedom leads to the oppression of one's imagination and ingenuity. Though Bacardi was the first, he is now no longer the only one making white label rum. And you would think that on the island where Ron Superior was born, some Cuban would be able to figure a similar method with all the same resources available.

Socialism breeds mediocrity. We all know it. And for those commie loving twirps who want to argue back, go to Canada, buy a bottle, taste how bad it is, and then please don't come back.