This is a rum that I have long been looking for. First off, not every duty free has them, and second, I passed it up for a while due to the price. But, Cuban rums have grown on me, and so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the most expensive rum that I have purchased to date.

Review

Smell

It’s a very light smell. A bit vanilla, a bit oak, a bit ethanol. This is a bit of a surprise, because Havana Club 7 yr smells so deep and rich with oak, and Ron Santiago de Cuba 12 yr smells so floral, but Havana Club Selección de Maestros smells so mild.

Taste

Slightly harsher than Havana Club 7, which is understandable, as it’s slightly higher proof. The initial taste that I get is tobacco. I see tobacco a lot in tasting notes, and I never understood how a rum could taste like tobacco, until now. It’s kind of smokey, and maybe has a light citrus tang, or some kind of sour note. Of course, overwhelmingly, the predominant taste is still the oak. Overall, it’s not super different from Havana Club 7. It’s rich, deep, and complex, much like Havana Club 7, and it really doesn’t have much in common with Ron Santiago 12 other than the dominating oak taste. Ron Santiago 12 has floral notes, hibiscus tea, caramel, and cantaloupe.

Daiquiris often are pretty good at really teasing out the differences. Havana Club 7 is ok, I never really preferred it in a daiquiri, and Selección de Maestros is about the same, but maybe a touch more interesting. Just a bit more depth and complexity shines through, with a bit of a smoky taste. But, at the same time, a lot more burn from the daiquiri with Selección de Maestros vs Havana Club 7.

Verdict 6.5/10

(Edited from 6.25/10 on 3/9/26)

(Edited from 7/10 on 1/20/26)

To be honest, the daiquiri test might be silly, because who is buying Havana Club Selección de Maestros as a mixer? So, aside from that, we have a rum that is very similar to Havana Club 7. It’s smokier and oakier than Havana Club 7, but also burns more, and is a lot more expensive. Is it really an upgrade over Havana Club 7? It’s hard to say. Tasting them back and forth, I think I might be a smidge more in favor of Havana Club 7. It’s just slightly more pleasant to me. But, overall, I can’t really say Havana Club Selección de Maestros is even half a point better or worse than Havana Club 7. They’re about the same for me, and so yet again, I give a Cuban rum a rating of 7/10. Could I just be a noob who hasn’t learned to appreciate finer rums? Yes!

January 20, 2026 Update:

Maybe I was silly and underrated this originally, but it really is nice when I compare it to some of my other favorites again. I like it a bit more than Diplo Planas, I like it a bit more than HC7, and I just kind of like it slightly less than Ron Santiago 12. It’s really a tough call, but I just decided to downgrade it to be equal to Ron Santiago 8, which is just a hair above Havana Club 3 and 7.

March 9, 2026 Update:

I am upgrading it and RdS 8 to 6.5/10