Havana Club Unión

Havana Club's Union sits at the dressier end of the Cuban range, a column still molasses rum made to pair with a cigar. Where much Cuban rum leans light and dry, this one is openly sweetened and bottled at a soft 40%, trading the island's usual leanness for richness and a rounder, more indulgent feel.

The nose is woody and a little smoky with vanilla, toffee and roasted notes, and the palate brings dark chocolate, caramel, tobacco and leather, finishing on burnt sugar, more dark chocolate and a leathery edge. It is built for slow sipping rather than mixing, and the tobacco and leather genuinely come alive next to a good cigar. The sweetness places it in dessert leaning territory, so anyone after a dry Cuban should look elsewhere, but as an elegant smoking companion it does its job with ease.