2025.11

Purchase

Maker: Cuban state liquor industry, under the Cubay registered marca. The Cubay mark originated in Havana province, initially for liqueurs (first registered 1964); the specific licorera is not named on the visible label. Date: circa 1964–1970s (in range). The Cubay trademark's first registration in 1964 gives a terminus post quem; the 760 cc volume (≈ the older 4/5-quart "fifth," before the ~1979–80 shift to 750 ml) and the vintage bottle/label style point to the 1960s–70s — within the collection range. (Circa; inferred.)

Label

Front

Cacao Cubay Marca registrada. Grado 26 (illegible). Contenido 760 cc

Spanish

Front oval label: CACAO / Cubay (script) / MARCA REGISTRADA / GRADO 26 / Contenido 760 cc. "Grado 26" partly illegible (per existing transcription).

bottle, cap

Glass

Materials: Amber molded glass; black plastic/Bakelite-type screw cap; paper label with printed guilloché border; cacao liqueur contents (if retained). Technique: Machine-molded glass bottle with textured panels; applied paper label; screw closure.

Fair

"Cubay" (Arawak-derived; the "-ay/-hay" ending evokes nearness to a river) began as a distinctive mark in Havana province, initially tied to liqueurs, first registered 1964. This Cacao Cubay belongs to that early Havana liqueur line — predating the better-known Ron Cubay, developed later at the Ronera Central "Agustín Rodríguez Mena," Santo Domingo, Villa Clara (distillery founded 1972; the rum brand often dated to 1996). The Cubay liqueur range historically spanned café, cacao, curaçao, granadina, marrasquino, menta, piña, plátano, anís, limón and coco. Dating rationale: 1964 registration as terminus post quem; "760 cc" reflects the pre-metric "fifth" used before the ~1979–80 move to 750 ml; with the bottle/label aesthetic, a 1960s–70s date is most likely — in range.