The Largest Collection Of Rum Outside of London in the UK?
We have been to a few bars outside of London in the UK which have had an excellent selection of rum. One of the more notable was The Liars Club in Manchester which not only had over 100 different rums, but a friendly and informative staff to boot. Also there is Island Bar in Birmingham, which has a separate tiki bar and boasts over 50 different types of rum.
However, we came across a bar, Cubana, in Sheffield in the news recently which has over 150 bottles of rum. Now we haven’t been to Sheffield, but this bar is a reason to go. A very good reason! The owners Brad Charlesworth and Adrian Bagnoli have put together a list of rum which is sourced from far and wide. As well as a large selection from the Caribbean, they have the famous Japanese Rum “Nine Leaves” as well.
However, the reason they were in the news recently was due to the fact they have purchased one of the most expensive bottles of rum in the world directly from Havana in Cuba. They will be selling Havana ‘Maximo Extra Anejo’ for £150 per 25ml shot. There are bottles available in the UK online at around £1,250 and it is touted as one of the best rum’s in the world. As well as spending time in Cuba for the rum, the Cubana spent time building other contacts and are currently in talks to bring a group of talented Cuban musicians to Sheffield for a short period to play at the bar.
The top of Havana’s production line, the bottle is more of a glass decanter and was made by one of their master distiller; Maestro Ronero Don José Navarro. He has over 40 years of experience in making Havana Club and is one of the most experienced in the entire industry.
We am yet to try this rum, but from what I have read it is meant to have notes of oak and smokiness alongside subtle tones of fruit on the nose, namely coconut and pear notes. On the tongue it is said to be woody with hints of vanilla and very smooth indeed. The finish is warm and spicy. From the couple of people I have met who have had the opportunity to savour this rum, they have unanimously agreed that it is an excellent rum, very complex and yet subtle at the same time, a must try for all rum enthusiasts indeed.
When we next make a trip up north, The Cubana Tapas Bar will definitely be on our must visit list. If your bar in the UK has a wider selection of rums, please let us know and We’ll be happy to update this post.
