Press Room Havana Club

Havana Club, the authentic Cuban rum, has taken the number one spot on the International Wine & Spirit Research (IWSR) 2012 Elite Brands List, demonstrating the brand’s strong international presence and sustained growth in recent years.

The criteria required to be deemed an Elite Brand include sales of more than 1m cases worldwide, with at least 40% of sales outside the brand’s main market and a compound annual growth rate of at least 5% for the previous five years, in order to demonstrate sustained growth.

Havana Club is a truly international brand, with exports representing 70% of total sales to 125 countries worldwide, excluding the USA, where authentic Cuban products are banned due to the trade embargo. Havana Club’s continued growth is driven by more than 30 markets including Germany – the brands’ No. 1 export market – France, Canada, Belgium, Russia and Travel Retail.

Jérôme Cottin-Bizonne, Managing Director of Havana Club International S.A., said: “To be the number one in the IWSR Elite Brands list is a significant achievement for Havana Club and is great recognition for our team. Our top position in the list highlights the depth and quality of our premium-aged rum, so we will work hard to maintain Havana Club’s consistent growth and ensure our continued success in markets across the world.”

With an outstanding portfolio of aged rums, Havana Club is a 100% Cuban rum of superior quality due to the knowledge of the Maestros Roneros, the unique Cuban climate and the quality of the sugarcane. Havana Club rums have been rated among the best in the world by professional palates in the most renowned international tasting competitions, including the Beverage Tasting Institute, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the International Wine and Spirit Competition, the International Spirits Challenge and The Rum Masters.

The IWSR is the leading provider of data on wines, spirits and RTDs. Its database, essential to the industry, is used by all of the largest multinational wine and spirits companies, as well as many more local companies. With a unique methodology that taps into local country expertise to understand markets’ dynamics, the IWSR tracks overall consumption and trends at brand, quality and category level for wines, spirits and RTDs.

For further information, please contact Paloma Salmerón:

paloma@rt-com.com

+44 020 7388 7421