For over six decades and counting, Cuba's illustrious rum-making had operated within the realms of state nationalisation kicked off by the famed revolutionary Fidel Castro, which saw some of the world's most famous rum brands now collectively exist and persist within just two government-owned stables.

That was until 2020 when a new brand came onto the scenes, not the least of which brow raising given its origins being that of an internal project of the French luxury conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy). Bluntly speaking, whilst that in and of itself may not sound particularly artisanal or reek of craftsmanship, the project is not without its outstanding merits that warrants a closer look (and taste) - it's helmed by one of only two of Cuba's Primer Maestro del Ron Cubano (translated as "First Master of Cuban Rum", the highest decoration bestowed upon a Cuban rum-maker) and also emphasises the substantial use of aguardiente (translated as "Firewater", and is the concentrated flavourful cane spirit that is typically reduced down with lighter distillate as is the Cuban tradition). And so in many senses, Eminente, as it is named after the "eminence of Cuba's raw mystique and attraction", might carry smoke, but is not without cream.

The Cuban Rum Context

Taking a closer look at the landscape with which Eminente arises - and why it's entrance is seen as ushering a new chapter of modernity for Cuban rum-making - it's worth understanding that up until the famed revolutionary Fidel Castro's rise in 1959, the country had already been home to 19 distilleries and 105 sugar mills, and had already been internationally known for household names such as Bacardi, Havana Club and Matusalem. Yet, overnight as it were, every rum producer became swept into a single owner - the Cuban state. This would carry sweeping implications for Cuba's rum story, much of which persists till this very day, and even goes beyond Cuba's shores. At least one such element of which was that regardless of brand, production was to be entirely handled by the Cuban government (international distribution would later be outsourced to foreign multi-national corporations), which whilst seemingly daunting, had nevertheless created an interesting and unique standardisation for the production and promotion of the overall Cuban rum identity. And so irrespective of brand or distillery, whilst there might be degrees of competition between which, Cuba's rum-makers do therefore share a deep sense of camaraderie, which has enabled them to collaborate (and even generously transmit their expertise and knowledge to developing future generations of Cuban rum-makers) to upkeep and uphold the traditions and quality of the country's ron (as rums are called in Spanish style rum-making regions).

Now it's also therefore worth recognising that consequentially, Cuban rums present a style of cane spirit that is unique even within the wider category of Spanish style rons. This has to do with how the rums are produced, as stipulated by the country's DOP (Protected Geographic Denomination), which states that all Cuban rums must be made with 100% Cuban sugarcane molasses, fermented with a proprietary cultured yeast, and then perhaps most uniquely, column distilled separately to produce two types of spirit - a concentrated and flavourful, high congener aguardiente (75% ABV), and a lighter flavoured, higher proof redistillado distillate (95% ABV) - where only the aguardiente must be aged for a minimum of 2 years in white oak barrels, and after which it is to be carbon filtered and then blended with the lighter redistillado for a second phase of ageing before it is ready and bottled. Interestingly this means that unlike other Spanish style rons, Cuban rums do not use the solera ageing method, but instead a "total ageing" method of barreling, blending and re-barreling. The entire process is ultimately designed around the the concept of re-oxygenation which is understood to help produce that characteristic smoothness and lightness that is the country's rum signature. That said, proportionally speaking, there isn't any strict requirement on how much aguardiente must be within the blend, although the industry typically keeps it around 7-10% of the total volume. Altogether, the DOP governing Cuba's rum-making was officially established in 2010, and by 2022, the tradition as practiced by the country' rum masters was designated as part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity representative list.

Creating The Eminente Brand

With that settled, we return to Eminente's story. As mentioned, Eminente is the result of an intrapreneurial project within French luxury group LVMH - that is an entirely new brand and product that is organically created internally within a larger company - and was therefore founded by Camille de Dominicis and Briac Dessertenne, with advise from rum and Calvados expert Alexandre Vingtier. The goal was to help to pad LVMH's smaller rum portfolio, but in a way that was more direct to consumer as opposed to on-trade distribution for use in cocktails as is often synonymous with Cuba's rums (so as to avoid having to compete with other drink companies for an already crowded pie), and therefore where most of what currently exists in the Cuban rum space was tied closely to cocktail-making, the founding pair saw the opportunity to do something unique by creating instead a Cuban sipping rum. Obviously the exoticness and romanticism affiliated with Cuba certainly made the country's rums an even easier choice.

They would start work on the brand in 2018 by first approaching the state-owned Cuba Ron (all distilleries, except for the unique exception of Sancti Spiritus Distillery, on the island belong to either Cuba Ron S.A. or Tecnoazucar, both of whom are state-owned) with the proposal to create Eminente, which was likely seen by the government as a step towards a greater promotion of the country's rums and was thus supportive of it. It's worth pointing out that as independent distilling is not allowed, rum brands can only work with state-owned distilleries to have their rums produced. The pair from LVMH were thus linked up with Cesar Marti from Cuba Ron, who today helms Eminente's rum-making. Eminente's rums would therefore be made in Ronera Central, in the province of Villa Clara, which lies in central Cuba, which itself presents a unique proposition as most of Cuba's distilleries lie either to the east or west, with the two regions showing its own distinct sensibilities. Where the eastern distilleries tend to produce fuller-bodied rums, the western distilleries prefer a lighter style best suited for cocktails - Eminente in the central therefore touts a blend of the two.

Primer Maestro del Ron Cubano Cesar Marti.

Just as Eminente traces its origins to central Cuba, so does its maestro ronero Cesar Marti. Born to a cane farming family in central Cuba, Marti would go on to study chemical engineering (a requirement to be a Cuban rum master) in the Universidad Central de las Villas Marta Abreu, during which he would take on his first internship at the Ronera Central distillery, where he would eventually join fully upon graduation. It was there that he was selected as an apprentice (called an aspirant) to the Cuban Master Rum Makers movement, an association of Cuban rum masters who together carry on the tradition of local rum-making. After 9 years of training, including mentoring under the famed Don Jose Pablo Navarro Campa, of Havana Club fame and also the foundational Primer Maestro del Ron Cubano, Marti would become the youngest Maestro Ronero in Cuban history (there are only 7 others), and after 12 more years of practice and the completion of a scientific thesis, he would join Campa as only the second other First Cuban Rum Master, the highest distinction possible in the industry. Today there are but two First Cuban Rum Masters and seven other Cuban Rum Masters who together oversee the production of 55 million litres of rums, helping to safeguard the country's rum-making traditions and sustainably steer it into the future, shaping it for decades to come. Interestingly, whilst hands on apprenticeship is key, the industry necessitates also a technical education so as to blend an expertise in both the art and science of rum-making where the Rum Master has to handle every step from procuring the cane all the way to fermentation, distillation and ageing. And whilst there is no examination to be a Maestro Ronero, what is nevertheless required is an unanimous appointment by the council of existing Cuban Rum Masters that just might be even more difficult to garner.

Isla del Cocodrilo.

And so between the founders from LVMH and Maestro Ronero Cesar Marti, the concept of Eminente was created - the first in a new generation of Cuban rum since the 1960's post-revolution. Given that the thesis was founded on creating a Cuban sipping rum - one that was less geared towards cocktail-making, and at the same time paid homage to the 19th century aguardiente heavy Cuban rums that preceded the cocktail boom - the brand would amp up its use of aguardiente to 70% for its flagship 7 Year Old Eminente Reserva and up to 80% aguardiente for its Eminente Gran Reserve (10 Year Old), with then an Eminente Ambar Claro (3 Year Old) that's set at 30% aguardiente which is the brand's offering to the cocktail world - the Eminente Millesime 2012 which we'll be tasting today in fact takes it up all the way to 100% aguardiente. Remember, the Cuban rum industry has typically kept aguardiente usage at only 7-10% of volume! This high flavour (high congener as a result of the substantial use of aguardiente) rum is then housed in a glass decanter that pays tribute to the island's crocodiles - Cuba is, in fact, nicknamed Isla del Cocodrilo for not just the mythical local reptile, but that the island itself appears much like the back of a half submerged crocodile when seen on a map - through both its label featuring the reptile, and the textures of the bottle that resembles the crocodile's skin. 

How Eminente Rum Is Made

To produce the rums, Eminente procures sugarcane that is harvested, washed, cut and pressed to produce juices that are then heated and concentrated to create a syrup that's then crystallised and separated several times to extract the sugars. This results in molasses, which Marti touts as being unique for its low viscosity and acidity (high refined with a 55-62% sugar content as opposed to the standard 45% from other regions), that is also high in fermentable sugars with little non-fermentable impurities, that is then aged for up to 5 years in tanks so as to develop a microflora which will subsequently support aromaticity during fermentation. Taking place at the Ronera Central distillery in central Cuba, once the molasses is deemed ready, water and a proprietary yeast is then added, with fermentation happening pretty quickly within 24-26 hours to produce a cane wine. Two sets of distillation based on the same cane wine then takes place using column stills - the first being a fractional condensation distillation that produces the 75% ABV aguardiente, and the second being a continuous column distillation to produce the 95% light redistillado spirit.

From there, the aguardiente undergoes the mandatory 2 years of white oak ageing (here ex-whisky American white oak is used), before it is then filtered and blended with the redistillado, before going through successive rounds of varied ageing. This is where it gets interesting and is perhaps where Marti's expertise prevails most (after all his PhD was written on the ageing of spirits!) - almost like a winemaker's elevage, he applies different barrels to each phase of the aguardiente's total ageing journey. Marti divides the white oak barrels into three categories that are to be used successively and are segmented by the age and use of the barrels: barrels of some use (for tannins and lignins), medium duty drums (for oxidised tannins) and finally barrels over 60 years old (to allow gentle oxidation without bitterness). Each plays its own role in the successive stages of the rum's maturation, and together produces a palette from which Marti is able to draw on and blend, so as to produce the final cuvee.

And that all brings us to today's rum - the Eminente Ron de Cuba Millesime 2012!

Let's go!

Rum Review: Eminente Ron de Cuba Millesime 2012 For Confrerie du Rhum & Excellence Rhum, 55.5% ABV

As mentioned, Eminente's value proposition lies in its heavy usage of flavourful aguardiente, for which its Millesime 2012 tops the cake being 100% aguardiente, with no light rum redistillado added. It's tropically aged for 10 years in two ex-whisky barrels - the first filled with 75% ABV still strength aguardiente, that was then aged at the highest level of the cellars to enhance the ageing process, whilst the second was filled with diluted aguardiente - which were then blended together and presented at 55.5% ABV. This was produced in collaboration with popular rum Facebook group La Confrerie du Rhum and the foremost rum focused online retailer Rhum Excellence on the occasion of their joint 10th anniversary, and made its debut at the 2023 Bordeaux Rhum Festival.

PS. Big shoutout to @weixiang_liu for generously sharing not just this lovely bottle, but the many incredible rums over our sessions, and above all your friendship and passion! You can read @weixiang_liu's original review here, where he is a regular contributor to 88 Bamboo as well. Big cheers!

Tasting Notes

Colour: Mahogany

Aroma: It opens rich and honeyed, alluring with herbal and spiced tones of eucalyptus, sarsaparilla and cola cubes, garnished with a citrusy tint. There's an undercurrent of vanilla cream that's subtle but beefs up its aromas, with also a fragrant waxiness of lacquered oak. With time, some earthiness of tobacco and leather as well.

Taste: Medium-bodied here, it's incredibly seamless and satin-y, with this immensely ethereal plushness that just glides over the palate almost like velvet. It's rich and also really lifted and elegant, featuring those confectionary pastry tones of brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon spices. They mingle to give cinnamon buns and creme brulee, with great concentration, yet at the same time contrasted against more earthy elements of licorice, tobacco, dark chocolate and lacquered oak, with also a waft of grassiness that mixes in with the brown sugars to give herbal tortoiseshell jellies. In between is a very subtle note of yellow raisins and dried apricots, with also a very soft yet fragrant hit of orange blossoms.

Finish: The herbal roots and licorice sticks bring a slight medicinal quality here, yet still well supported by the brown sugars and honey, with also a more industrial bit of tyre rubber that shows up. This all recedes through a clean and warm finish.

My Thoughts

This feels like classic Cuban rum that's given heaps of concentration, yet at the same time impressively maintaining that incredible seamless lushness - truly, it's textures on the palate is something to behold! It's satin-y and velvety, with this warm and comforting, relaxed yet refined richness. It's also powerfully aromatic, incredibly fragrant and beguiling, yet at the same time serving well its purpose of offering a sneak preview of what's in store on the palate.

It feels like a tropical summer day sat by the pool with a cigar in hand, served up with some churros and a side of custard and chocolate sauce, along with an assortment of dried raisins and apricots. If I had to pin it down, it feels like a cross between a Bajan rum and a rhum agricole, with just the slightest squeak of heavy Trinidad rum. That all said, I should point out that given the stylistic sensibilities of the Cubans, this rum feels almost continuous - it almost strikes a single note and keeps it humming - and whilst perhaps at points it may intensify or mellow, it's rather singular and therefore forgoes a more multi-dimensional quality or any sort of an evolving nature that some folks might prefer. Here it's complete harmony, with no switch ups or beat drops.

Altogether a fantastic rum that's heftier than what you might know Cuban rums to be, with that much more depth and richness, yet keeping things seamless.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot