Pernod revamps Havana Club amid Bacardi feud

Pernod Ricard has created a new Havana Club expression and relaunched its global cocktail competition centred on the Cuban rum, despite recent protests from Bacardi over its trademark.

The Havana Club Tributo Collection is a batch of 2,500 bottles made up of special reserve rum which will be revamped annually in time for the Cuban Habanos Festival.

Meanwhile, Havana Club is inviting bartenders to take part in the national heats for the 11th biennial Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix, in which bartenders will compete to represent their country at the global finals in Cuba.

The new rum and relaunched competition come as rival spirits producer Bacardi has threatened legal action against the American government over its decision to award exclusive rights to the Havana Club trademark in the US to Pernod’s brand.

This is despite Bacardi’s Havana Club, which is made in Puerto Rico, previously having sole rights over the name in the US.

The decision by the US government to give the right to the Havana Club trademark to Pernod Ricard’s brand – which is partly owned by the Cuban government – comes after a thaw between American relations with communist Cuba.

Bacardi issued a statement last month following the January ruling, saying: “As part of continued efforts to defend the legitimacy of its rights and ownership of Havana Club rum, Bacardi has requested the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to reverse its decision to grant the Cuba government a licence to renew and maintain the Havana Club trademark registration in the United States.”

Sources estimate that the decision could cost Bacardi up to 4 million case sales a year as Pernod Ricard takes over the rights to the brand in the US.

The 2016 limited edition Havana Club from Pernod Ricard’s brand is made from a base of rums aged in 80-year old casks, which have been blended with other rums “to give an aromatic and intense taste with defining notes of dried tropical fruits and a deep amber colour”.

It is bottled at 40% ABV and will be available in 10 markets, including Cuba, UK and China, from March 2016 at the RRP of $350.