Post #247793 by Bargoyle on Wed, Aug 9, 2006 8:37 AM

I think the Jury should still be out on this one.

To condemn the Bacardi corporation for a product no-one has seen or tasted yet seems a little premature.

I've heard stories that once the Cuban government took over the Havanah Club distillery, that the quality of the rum went right into the toilet.

Perhaps the bacardi product, following the original recipe, will actually be better??

I guess maybe its just fashionable to bash Bacardi these days? Too many tv ads from a company who is far too successful.

ALso, I've got to agree with Pappy ...for what it is, bacardi is fine (although I usually use Cruzan...I like it better & its cheaper) and mixes great in most coktails (when called for).

And maybe, just maybe, in this free-market society of ours, that if/when the cuban embargo is lifted, the competition between distilleries will cause a massive upshift in quality (rather than just adding mango juice or whatever the "hot" flavor is) and expand our choices as consumers. With Castro on the outs, its just a matter of time.

As far as Havanah club, I guess its a matter of how you look at the situation.

Do you side with the communist -based dictatorship that took the assets of a family, changed the recipe, and reaped a fortune on its confiscated distillery?

Or do you side with the money hungry desendents of a once great product trying to cash in on a name with huge conglomerate, worried only about how much cash they can make?

I'm too cynical to judge until I can swill em both, side by side.

Just my 2 cents.