Havana Club Wins Most International Rum Festival Awards

Famous Cuban Havana Club rum won most of the awards given in the First International Rum Festival, which 300 participants from 30 nations considered the "Anejo 15 anos" (aged rum) the most complete, event participants said.

The Melia Havana Hotel hosted the closing ceremony and awards dinner that ended in the early hours of the morning, and where prizes were awarded for best designs in such categories as best stand (free design) to Tecnoazucar Company, and best design of a product for the range of Havana Club rums, among others.

The quality award went to Arecha (light rum category), Havana Club Golden Age and Varadero (golden rum category), Mulata (aged reserve rum category), Havana Club 7 Years and Legendario (aged rum category), Havana Club 15 Years, Santiago de Cuba 485 and Varadero (extra aged rum category).

The first international festival provided an excellent opportunity for debates, meetings, tastings, and the official presentation of eight Cuban rums on the international market (Santiago de Cuba, Cubay, Legendario, Arecha, Mulata, Santero, Varadero and Caney).

Nino Berilli of the Francis Corti Distillery in Italy was one of the special guests at the event interested in distributing the Cuban rums.

The winner of the cocktail-making competition of the International Rum Festival in Havana was Yardo Gonzalez Gomez, who works at Don Giovanni an Italian restaurant in Old Havana, with "Ecstasy", a blend of Red Bull, Drambouie and Varadero rum garnished with passion fruit and other tropical fruits and soon to be available in Cuban bars and restaurants.

Second place went to former baseball player Yosvani Machado with "Sweet Morning Star" and third prize went to Juan Carlos Valladares.