Falstaff gives it 91 points, Difford's Guide highlights coffee and tobacco, and Canada's Chip Dykstra objects to the molasses sweetness
Created in the 1970s by José Navarro, Havana Club Añejo 7 Años was the first aged Cuban rum introduced to the world as a rum to drink neat, according to Difford's Guide. It is a blend of rums of different ages; the youngest spend seven years in casks that previously held bourbon. The brand is produced by a joint venture between Pernod Ricard and state-owned Cuba Ron, and the rum is bottled at 40% alcohol. Here is what three published reviews say about it.
Austrian magazine Falstaff gave the rum 91 points, in a tasting on September 24, 2020 by a panel of Erhard Ruthner, Roland Graf, David Penker, Andy Portz and Gerry Fryd. The note describes sweetish hints of dark cocoa and candied date, supported by a strong tobacco note, a pleasantly dry palate and a finish with dark, exotic fruit.
In Difford's Guide's review, dated March 23, 2025, the nose brings biscuit, espresso coffee, tobacco leaf, chocolate and vanilla, with gingerbread, nutmeg and orange marmalade. On the palate, the guide describes a medium- to full-bodied rum, rich and ripe yet dry, with oak spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon, vanilla, milk chocolate, coffee and overripe banana. The finish has black pepper and espresso toffee.
Chip Dykstra, from Alberta, Canada, author of The Rum Howler Blog, was tougher and gave it 83.5 out of 100. He found molasses and smoke on the nose, then spices, raisins, prunes and tobacco, and wrote that he would have scored it higher had the nose been more assertive. On the palate, he described a molasses rum with a smoky character, tobacco and oak spice, but with an odd metallic trace, and a sweetness that becomes cloying on the finish. Even so, he found the flavor fuller than that of other rums in the same price range. On his scale, scores between 80 and 84 indicate a spirit that can already be enjoyed neat or on the rocks.
All three reviews mention tobacco and dark notes of cocoa, coffee or dried fruit. Falstaff and Difford's describe a dry palate; Dykstra objects to the molasses sweetness on the finish. Bebidário's catalog also includes the younger Havana Club Añejo 3 Años.
Sources: Falstaff (September 24, 2020), Difford's Guide (March 23, 2025), The Rum Howler Blog (January 14, 2016).
