Procuring Havana Club

I did a search and saw some posts on how to get the Club over the borders, but didn't find anything specific about procuring it without traveling. I got me a bottle on a cruise recently but used it quite quickly. I'm hooked. I saw some on ebay, but I'd like some advice as to how to get some Havana club otherwise.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Mahalo

I have never ordered Cuban rum so I can't give you names or links. There are lots of internet liquor stores located outside the USA which will ship to the USA. Ask around, I am sure that if you try hard you can find one that will send you whatever rum you want. Just be prepared to pay $20 a bottle to have it shipped.

Cuban cigars are available the same way.

This from a thread we have been running on thrifty drunks.

For the TCers who wish to stock up on Havana Club, all it takes as a jaunt to Mexico. I can buy (not cheap) Havana Club "Silver Dry", Havana Club Anejo 3 anos gold, and sometimes the 5 anos at Canada Drugstore in Hermasillo in Sonora. I am sure for you West Texans, New Mexicans, and Californians you will be able to score Havana Club in TJ in Baja and Juarez (south of El Paso). Note: Havana Club is contraband and will be seized by cutoms and border patrol! If you are randomly checked, and you did not amnesty drop or declare..you WILL be cited. Once you have tripped that wire, EVERY time you travel abroad YOU will be singled out for searches and harassed. I have never been caught (knock on my head) BUT this is the facts. For you North Country TCers, Canada is awash with overpriced Cuban Rum and Cigars. I do order (at a premium - Absinthe, and Cuban cigars on International mail ordersites), and have not had a problem, but dig deep in your wallet. You have no financial recovery recourse, if postal inspectors or customs seizes your Havana Club, but it is rare that they will.

Before the Revolution, the per capita consumption of RUM in the Colonies was 3.7 gallons PER person. We have become a Neo-temperant nation of wimps and quitters! We must rise, Tiki Nation, and raise our ceramic mugs in resistance to teatotaling!

[ Edited by: Rum Numb Davey 2005-08-12 00:18 ]

On 2005-08-12 00:16, Rum Numb Davey wrote:
I do order (at a premium - Absinthe, and Cuban cigars on International mail ordersites), and have not had a problem, but dig deep in your wallet. You have no financial recovery recourse, if postal inspectors or customs seizes your Havana Club, but it is rare that they will.

Would this be the German company "Absinthe" that does worldwide shipping? I just sent them an email to see if they would ship to the US but I guess based on their shipping guidelines they do. Is it reliable and have you had any problems getting your Havana Club?

Premium or not, at least it's a way to get some Havana CLub into my stock.

The mail order route is definitely a viable route. But make sure you use a company that insures and guarantees delivery. If the shipment gets seized by U.S. Customs, then U.S. Customs has to send a letter to the shipper in the foreign country stating that they seized and destroyed the goods being shipped, and what specifically those goods were. Upon the receipt of this letter, the shipper will simply send out another shipment of goods - no skin off their nose, because the shipment was insured. They could theoretically do this an unlimited amount of times, because the shipment is insured. But there are less shipments seized than you'd think - maybe about two or three per shipping company per year. So yeah, make sure that you use a company with a good reputation that uses insurance.

You can get Havana Club to your door here http://www.extreme-trading-shop.com/
It will take a while 26 days to Ohio.
And they are not cheap. But at least you know they will not rip you off.
About $50.00 per 750ml bottle to you door.

Well I went ahead and placed an order with Absinthe, only because Extreme had all these server problems. The guy e-mailed me back and basically told me I can order but at my own risk, so I don't think they insure the package against a seisure at customs...

Whichever, I know I'm risking a few hundred dollars but it could be worse. Their disclaimer is pretty wild too; it basically says 'we'll ship to the USA but you people know damn well it's all contraband so if you never get it, don't look at us!'

Well, no go from Absinthe - they don't like credit cards "temporarily". They want a wire transfer from bank to bank but I don't want to bother. Sounds like an awful lot of pain in the neck to go through. If anyone knows any other reliable places to get some HC, I'm all ears. Thanks

~M

Just an FYI --

I was in Tijuana this past weekend. On the main drag, Revolucion, there is a supermarket called Gigante. I've purchased Havana Club here in the past. Although I didn't purchase any on this trip, I noted they had the following:

• Anejo Blanco
• Anejo Especial
• Anejo Reserva
• Anejo 7 Anos

They ranged in price (U.S.) from about $9 to about $24.

Gigante had Matusalem rum as well.

Best of all, they had a woman providing free samples of Havana Club the day I was there.

"I am Lono!" -- Hunter S. Thompson

[ Edited by: arriano 2014-12-17 14:24 ]

DEVILS ADVOCATE QUESTION....

what was the Border Security like? Could you have easily smuggling some across or is it strictly TABOO?

On 2007-08-15 08:50, bb moondog wrote:
DEVILS ADVOCATE QUESTION....

what was the Border Security like? Could you have easily smuggling some across or is it strictly TABOO?

My experience has been that they're worried about a lot more important things than rum: Terrorists, weapons, drugs, illegal aliens, etc. But it's always a potential problem.

I called US customs to inquire whether or not it was kosher to bring a bottle down as a gift, they said 'NO! All Kuban products are illegal to bring across the border.'

On 2007-08-16 09:18, arriano wrote:

On 2007-08-15 08:50, bb moondog wrote:
DEVILS ADVOCATE QUESTION....

what was the Border Security like? Could you have easily smuggling some across or is it strictly TABOO?

My experience has been that they're worried about a lot more important things than rum: Terrorists, weapons, drugs, illegal aliens, etc. But it's always a potential problem.

YEP!! Just came back with a bunch of Havana Club today - no problemo!!!!

Arriano - thanks for the tip on the supermarket :)

Ok -

I went to Canada last month and while vacationing, I purchased 3 bottles of HC. I was so worried they'd find it at customs, so I smuggled it. And when he made me pop my trunk on the way back, I figured I was done - but he never found it and let me go.

Here's where I messed up - (I didn't want to give too much detail on this but) I arranged the bottles so they'd fit in the spare tire. I was really chancing that because if he decided to go a little further and pull up the mat in the trunk, he would have found what I was hiding. Fortunately, he just did a quick breeze through the suitcases and my laptop bag. He NEVER searched my bags INSIDE the car, which means I would have been better off just sticking my bottles into the duty free bags because he just asked if it was duty free stuff in there and I simply just said "yeah". But I guess all experiences can be different. It doesn't seem like anyone has been caught yet with it, though (??)

But for safety, go the eBay route. I try to find sellers who have HC available that are already in the states so I know it's being shipped within the US. You will pay a little more, but I've worked my collection up to 10 bottles since July.

Mind you, more than just a little more on EBay.....was $8-20 a bottle in Tijuana (depending on whether it was Blanco, or the 3, 5 or 7 year version)..... No hassles on the way home - even when they scanned our backpacks - they're just looking for terrorist stuff when they scan them - not for extra or "illegal" booze......

ebay? surely this is a joke... you arent even allowed to sell alcohol on ebay, much less cuban rum.

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-4488.aspx

http://www.masterofmalt.com/distilleries/havana-club-rum/

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/spirits/havana_club_rum_anejo_7_year_old_700ml.html

looks like its going to run about $75 with shipping

Got mine from Masters of Malt - still have some 15 year old left. Its hard to believe I've gone through as much as I have because I certainly won't be reordering it any time soon.

I brought some back from Jamaica this summer and it was no problem. It is a good rum, but if I have to decide between $75 delivered and $22 crossing south, I will take Mexico at $22 for the 7 year.

Generally bringing any booze over the border is no big deal. They put it in a brown bag when you purchase it. At the border check they ask if you are bringing anything home. Just say a bottle of booze or tequila or rum. They are not going to look at what kind it is. I used to do this with Absinthe before we could get it in the US. Only 1 per person though out of Mexico.

On 2013-12-03 10:52, nomeus wrote:
ebay? surely this is a joke... you arent even allowed to sell alcohol on ebay, much less cuban rum.

They get around this by selling the "bottle" and not the "contents of the bottle" so it is not selling booze on ebay which is illegal it is selling a rum bottle that just happens to be full. I HAVE purchased rum off of ebay (Dagger Dark in an airplane bottle for example) with good results. I have enough empty bottles of rum, so I have no interest unless it is still sealed. :)

I just stroll over to the liquor store about 3 minutes walk from my house and buy it... but I'm in Canada. I can get the anejo blanco, anejo reserva and 7 year at the local store. To get their higher end stuff, I have to drive to a store about 4 hours away. The blanco is the main one of interest to me because, in my opinion, it's by far the best white rum available in Ontario. I don't even have any of the others in my cabinet at the moment.

On 2013-12-03 10:52, nomeus wrote:
ebay? surely this is a joke... you arent even allowed to sell alcohol on ebay, much less cuban rum.

You used to be able to buy a full bottle unopened of Havana Club for the
collectable bottle that just so happened to be full of rum.
I did it all of the time, then some ebay bitch cop type musta ended that cuz
you can't find it anymore.

People suck.

A couple news outlets ran stings on eBay with kids buying booze, so they were forced to stop evading the law. You won't find any alcohol on there any longer. There's still plenty of private selling going on, just not as open as it was. I've sold collectible bourbons privately, and I imagine there are rum groups as well. While still technically illegal (in the U.S), I don't think there's much risk in the occasional small transaction.

Conan O'Brien visits Havana Club in Cuba

http://teamcoco.com/video/conan-cuba-rum-museum

See ebay Havana Club for sale now.(3/17/2015)

I got a guy who fly's it in from Canada packed in these Maltese Falcons.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Havana-Club-Rum-Anejo-Especial-70cie-/121596953246?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c4fbe429e

On 2015-03-17 12:36, tikiskip wrote:
See ebay Havana Club for sale now.(3/17/2015)

I got a guy who fly's it in from Canada packed in these Maltese Falcons.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Havana-Club-Rum-Anejo-Especial-70cie-/121596953246?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c4fbe429e

$100 !!!!! If this sells, I'm going down to Tijuana every weekend to bring a bottle back