Book Review: Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba

The fifth and last major standard style, the lighter Cuban rums pioneered by Bacardi, who left their facilities and quality, but not their politics, behind when Fidel lit up. Por Cuba Libre!
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RT
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Book Review: Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba

Post by RT »

Those who have figured me out from my many years of posting on this and other rum sites, know that I am not really a fan of Bacardi products. This is not because I like piling on the big guy, but because I honestly think their silver and gold rums taste like cheap rum cut 50% with industrial solvents.

I have also read quite a few books on rum over the years, including Broom, Williams, Curtis, Hamilton, etc., but I wasn't quite prepared to find this book by Tom Gjelten on the closeout table of a university bookstore.

Through nearly 400 pages of dense writing, you get the 150+ year history of the Bacardi company and Cuban politics, in intertwined detail. You find out that the Bacardis were good to their workers, and consistently supportive of Cuban struggles for democracy. You find out that they did much to improve the state of rum production, and to promote Cuban style rum.

Then you find out how they were doublecrossed by the Castro regime, had all their Cuban assets stolen by his regime, and how they were able to regroup and prosper as an international company. You also find out how, after they successfully extracted the Bacardi trademarks from Cuba, they attempted unsuccessfully to extract the Havana Club trademarks as well. Finally, you learn how they have been competing in a world of Diageos.

So, now I know a whole lot more about Bacardi than I ever thought I would. Unfortunately, I still think their silver and gold taste like industrial solvent. But I will be adding the 8 back onto my shelf of worthy sippers.

And I am looking forward to touring their fake distillery in Puerto Rico next month.
Students of the cask, reject naught but water. -Charles Gonoud, Faust Act 2
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Capn Jimbo
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

No love lost...


Clearly there is no love lost. For whatever is true about Cuba and Castro, Bacardi has acted in similar fashion by financing air strikes, and by buying retroactive legislation to steal a name they never really owned - Havana Club - and that is not recognized in the rest of the world.

Bacardi's tactics include coopting shelf space in the United States, and working to exclude competitive rums in popular tourist bars throughout the Caribbean using the tactics of predatory pricing and unashamed demands. Neither party has clean hands; nonetheless, I'd love to find this book...
RT
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Post by RT »

Amazon and Kindle both have it.

Not a total puff piece, either - the planned air strikes, retroactive legislation, the involvement of Jesse Helms, Jeb Bush, and Tom DeLay, and other sneaky Havana Club/Arechabala family dealings are all covered in the book. And clearly, the current management team is more than willing to play in the large multi-national spirits corporations' mud pit. The Bacardi empire has expanded to include quite a few other spirits brands, such as Martini & Rossi, Dewar's, Bombay Sapphire, Cazadores, and Grey Goose, to name a few.
Students of the cask, reject naught but water. -Charles Gonoud, Faust Act 2
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Capn Jimbo
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Book Review: Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Book Review: Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba


Anyone who spends more than a few minutes here will soon come to realize my love for the history and tradition of rum. Not only is such history fascinating, but the more you know about the development of this spirit, and how distilling moved about the Caribbean - then the better you will understand and appreciate rum and its styles.

For example, you would know that Jamaica was the first stop after rum's practical beginning in Barbados, where distillation was improved by double distillation and the development of the dunder pit - which led to greatly improved quality and the much greater number of congeners and esters in the Jamaican style.

In this light I purchased "Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba" based on RT's recommendation - about $12 I recall in hardback from Amazon. I must say this is surely the most authoritative, competent, insightful and thorough books on rum I've ever read.

Be forewarned this is more about the politics and patriotism of the Bacardi family and Cuba, particularly Santiago - which you will learn is miles and attitudes apart from Havana. Each exists on the opposite end of the long island, and might as well have been on different planets in many ways.

For one thing, Santiago is very close to Haiti and Jamaica and their many influences, not least rum making. Never fear, there's enough in here about Facundo Bacardi's developments of what became the Cuban style, and which was probably responsible for the rebirth of interest in rum and its mixology.

Of perhaps more interest is how and why this family held company became the force it has. This book is a must buy for anyone remotely interested in the politics and growth of rum in America...
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