To best describe this piece it is appropriate to directly quote a passage from Luca Gargano's autobiographical book "A Nomad among the Barrels".
“During negotiations with the Cuban government for cigars, I have some difficulty because of one of what I call my 5 privileges, which are: not wearing a watch; not having a driving licence; not having a cell phone; don't watch television (I haven't done so since 1994); never sit at the table with a politician.
And this last privilege, of course, with Fidel Castro is a big problem.
I meet him one day, during negotiations conducted mainly by Andrea and on official occasions, but several times I receive an invitation to a private dinner, which I have to refuse.
And of course I can't say the real reason, so every time I make up excuses, sudden illnesses, even if this forces me to stay locked in the hotel, so as not to be seen around by Fidel's men.
On one of my countless trips, one day very early in the morning they called me from the reception of the Hotel Cohiba and told me that there were some people downstairs who wanted to talk to me. They are Habanos' lawyers. They tell me that Fidel doesn't like the name Ultima Revolucion at all that I used for a Havana Club match purchased years earlier, not to mention the presence of the Cuban flag on the labels.
For this reason I was forced to withdraw all the bottles of Ultima Revolucion from the market.”
Ultima Revolucion is produced by Havana Club, the best-selling Cuban rum brand in the world. Distilled in the famous distillery in Santa Cruz del Norte in Havana, it is a product aged for 5 years and bottled at 40%
70 Cl
40% Vol.