2018 Bloomsbury Atelier - Cubana (52.6%)

CUBANA is the first release in the new Bloomsbury Atelier series. The range represents a new spirits category which distils the terroir and very soul of a destination into unique spirits that resist definition. Bloomsbury Atelier CUBANA is an ode to Caribbean fermentation and the magnificent native ingredients from those seas and shores. Celebrating the crops of Cuba, it centres around fermented tobacco and the aromas of the finest Cuban cigar. Complemented by cured black lime and fermented cacao nibs and married together by the Caribbean’s aromatic high-ester sugarcane rum. It’s an extraordinary combination of Cuban aromas and flavours which transports you with every sip. Pale gold, the nose offers notes of dark lime oil, sugarcane juice and black cardamom, with perfumed almonds and fig blossom, alongside freshly roasted coffee and trails of cigar smoke. On the palate, there’s immediate cacao, parma violets wrapped in first-fill Sherry cask. Luxurious dark chocolate grows into unmistakable cigar tobacco, cedar and distant seaspray. The finish is long and generous, with notes of ripe papaya and dark lime, tobacco leaf and wood smoke. Exceedingly long, there’s the cool interplay of plump fresh cigars and the faintest hint of mint. While the distillery recommends savouring CUBANA neat or on the rocks, it works equally well served with ice and a squeeze of fresh lime or to bring a unique Cuban twist to classic cocktails, like the Old Fashioned. Fewer than 4,000 bottles of CUBANA are available globally. Each bottle is hand-stamped with a unique identification number and comes stunningly presented in a weighted, leather-collared decanter which rests beautifully in the palm of your hand for the perfect pour.