Ron Caney Anejo Centuria – another Cuban rum I picked up in Spain.  Which seems to be the place to go if you want lower to mid level Cuban rum.  At a very reasonable price.

As with a lot of Cuban rums information is a little sketchy.  Some information online seem to suggest this a blend of rums aged between 5 and 9 years. Other resources denote it being a 7 year old rum.

Ron Caney is produced in Santiago de Cuba at one of the former Bacardi distilleries.  I’ve found some “official” information here.

Alternatively Matt Pietrik over at Cocktail Wonk has produced an excellent piece which is brilliantly researched on the Cuban rum

Using Matt’s list I conclude that Ron Caney Anejo Centuria 7 Year Old is in fact a very different rum to the similarly presented (and more famous) Havana Club 7.  One of my concerns when reviewing Cuban rum has been reviewing the same rum – under a different label and giving a differing score!  I don’t always have samples of rums availabel to try and contrast and often it can be some time since i have tried one or the other.

Ron Caney shares its distillery with other rum brands – Varadero and perhaps the second most famous Cuban Rum brand Santiago de Cuba.  The 12 Year Old Santiago de Cuba was reported as Fidel Castro’s favourite brand.

Ron Caney is available quite readily in Spain.  It is somewhat more limited in the UK.  A bottle of this rum will cost you upwards for £25.  In Spain I picked it up for around 11 Euros.  The presentation of the Ron Caney Anejo Centuria is classically Cuban. They seem to like these thin, sleek black bottles.  The Republica de Cuba Garantia sticker is prominent – so you know this really is authentic Cuban rum not Cuban Style from Puerto Rico…..

Ron Caney Anejo Centuria like to so many Latin rums is bottled below 40% ABV.  This is bottled at 38% ABV.  It is a column distilled rum and if you read the above “official” informati

on” I am not sure if they are suggesting it includes some kind of mango extract or not??

Whilst a lot is made of additives in rum I’ve never (aside from the Havana Club Anejo Especial) had a particularly sweet Cuban rum.  They have in the main always displayed a dryness and smokiness which has made me have respect for how they are produced.  Tales of sweet wine etc being added are disturbing but the rums never seem to hit the heights in terms of ludicrous modification that I have experienced in some of their South and Central American cousins – or some of the nonsense passed off by certain European bottlers.

In the glass Ron Caney Anejo Centuria is a reddish/golden brown. The nose is immediately Cuban.  Sweet and smokey.  There is a nice hit of sherry trifle alongside some nice light oak spices and a touch of tobacco.

It’s quite fruity as well with some tropical notes (could that be the Mango?). Whilst it might sound “sweet” it doesn’t have the artificial sweetness you sometimes find in rums.

Sipped the rum is considerably less sweet than the nose would suggest.  It’s initially quite sweet with brown sugar and a touch of caramel but this quickly gives way to a smoky and spicy note.  This mid palate doesn’t really carry a lot of flavour to be honest.  It’s all a llittle flat and not that exciting.

The finish is also pretty muted.  There’s nothing “off” about this rum there is no overly heavy tobacco notes like Havana Club 7.  It doesn’t excite me as much its stable mate the Santiago de Cuba rum though.  As a sipper its all just a bit average and uninspiring. Having said that for 12 Euros should you expect a lot?

Mixing rum with cola is popular in Spain – its popular in this house as well so we may as well give that a go.

It works okay – but again its not really all that exciting.  It’s quite nicely balanced and the flavour is okay but its all just a bit timid.  Its light and a bit buttery, with a little fruity sweetness in there – maybe a touch of raisins and prunes.

Overall it isn’t a bad rum but it isn’t great either.  It’s kind of forgettable.  Compared to Ron Varadero 7 it is quite a way behind.  It doesn’t sit will when rated alongside Ron Cubay Anejo or Santiago de Cuba Anejo either.  It’s probably a bit better than Havana Club 7 but not by much.

If I could pick it up for £12 over here then I would probably buy it as a cheap easy weekend mixer – but beyond that it really doesn’t hold a great deal of appeal.  I certainly have no interest in paying £25-30 for a bottle.

It’s an authentic style of Cuban rum but unfortunately, its all just a little bit to soft, to bland and lacks any real character.  In the US the myth of Cuban rum and its “Forbidden Fruit” value, does on occasion lead to hysteria about ANY Cuban rum.

As the Arctic Monkeys once said “Don’t believe the hype”

Well not ALL of it anyway.