Over 235 Years of heritageThe Cigars and Whisky Sampler - The Pairings
We've made this sampler for cigar enthusiasts who enjoy their smokes with a whisky. Ultimately this is a sampler with four cigars with, at least, a medium-to-full flavour profile.
The whisky is not included!! We’ve also kept the whisky choice to bottles under £100.
Whisky with cigars is not for everyone’s taste, and we understand that. The profiles of whisky can overpower cigars at times, but we think that it can be done very well. Even the drinks with a high ABV can be paired, but of course that will require a perceptive palette. Everyone’s taste is different so what we think of the pairing may not be what everyone senses, too. Instead, take it as our recommendation for pairing these cigars.
Partagas Serie E No.2 – Hibiki Harmony
This Partagas is a favourite amongst the more-seasoned cigar smoker. So much so it has been commissioned to be the next released Gran Reserva cigar. It is effectively a robusto extra in size, 5 ½’’ x 54 ring gauge – the widest of all the Partagas in current production. That heavy, cooling ring gauge allows the cigar profile to be a little bit more medium-to-full flavour compared to the Partagas Serie P No.2, which we consider to be a full-bodied cigar.
Our Master of Havana Cigars, Nic Barker says: “Easy to appreciate, and full of the classic Partagas spicy flavour, the E No.2 proves to be delicate and complex beyond its stronger flavours, with plenty of coffee, black pepper, leathery nuances throughout, culminating in a cool toasty finish.”
A quick flashback: If you were lucky enough to attend our cigars and single malt Japanese whisky sampling event back in February 2020, we would say it was one of the best sampling evenings we’ve ever had. That day it was the Partagas Serie P No.2 paired with the Yamazaki 18, 12 and Distillers Reserve. The P2 and Yamazaki 18 was a delectable combination, a pairing the punchy full-bodied torpedo with the typical Partagas spice with a whisky that contains a wonderful taste and scent resembling matured autumn fruits, very similar to flavours from a traditional Christmas cake.
Taking the previous pairing into consideration, with the E2 being slightly milder than the P2, we’ve gone for the more delicate Hibiki over the Yamazaki. The Partagas Serie E No.2 and Hibiki 17 would be a match made in the divinest place of heaven. But with the 17 being a very rare bottle these days, we are happy to suggest the Hibiki Harmony as the best partnering whisky for this cigar. The soft elements of the Hibiki have not been lost on this pairing, with the orange and apricot on the nose and palette being abundantly apparent. The best part is the little spice that comes from the citrus and wood runs somewhat parallel to the cigar. For people thinking Japanese Whisky is a fad, it’s most certainly not. The dedication to producing an amazing product has now become obvious to the world, and it is unfortunate for many that the bottles of the older age statement are now becoming unobtainable.
Plasencia Alma Fuerte Robustus I – The Dalmore 15
The cigars in Plasencia’s Alma Fuerte range can often be overlooked if it is not the Sixto I or II! They are fantastic cigars and unique with their box pressed hexagon shape, but the blend they use for their maduro line works equally as fantastic in the robusto size. Slightly larger than the conventional Habanos robusto, being 5 ¼’’ with a 52-ring gauge, we would partner the Robustus I with the Dalmore 15. Let us explain.
This cigar is made entirely from Nicaraguan tobacco – tobacco grown on the nutrient-rich, volcanic soils of the fields in Nicaragua. The Plasencia Alma Fuerte maduro has a unique blend of their best-aged tobaccos, and it is for this reason that this blend is not a powerhouse of a cigar like many other Nicaraguan maduros. The aging process of these leaves allows their vibrant and intense flavours to be disseminated coherently on the palette. What you will find is the archetypal maduro flavour of dark chocolate nuanced with a wintery fruit and spice combination of plum and cinnamon.
If the Plasencia runs one track, then the Dalmore 15 runs on a parallel track in the same direction. Very similar with its nose and flavour profile, strength in regard to the whisky range spectrum and popularity. The Dalmore are an enormous brand across the world, just like Plasencia are to the Cigar world. Both are “household names” in their industries; In 2015, Plasencia became the largest growers of tobacco in the world with four factories and eight plantations across Nicaragua and Honduras, while The Dalmore continue to be one of the most recognised names in whisky, spearheaded by their renowned legendary master distiller, Richard Paterson.
Patterson’s expertise has designed The Dalmore 15 to be a whisky that is rich, reminiscent of a matured Christmas pudding bursting with dark chocolate and zesty fruits. All this flavour on the palette and nose come from the whisky spending twelve years maturing in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, then a three-year finish in three different sherry woods - Amoroso, Apostoles and Matusalem oloroso.
Opposites in pairings will often complement and enhance the other, but in this case, it is the similarity that provides an enchanting sensation of their core flavours within the cigar and whisky. Loaded with flavour that are perfect for the Autumn and Winter months.
Bolivar Royal Corona – Port Charlotte Islay Barley Heavily Peated 2013
The strength is off the charts with this combination, but in a sampler that pairs cigars and whisky, the formidable strength of the Bolivar and Port Charlotte combination will be a welcome sight to those who prefer whisky with their cigars.
Smoke in abundance, the Royal Corona is the epitome of a full-bodied Habanos while this Port Charlotte is one of the most peated whiskys they have created. Peat can be overwhelming for some, especially with cigars if the cigar is too mild. There is no worry of this as the iconic Bolivar is notorious for being the strongest brand of cigars from Cuba.
We’ve selected the Royal Corona, but it could have easily been the Bolivar Belicoso Finos – an equally impressive choice. Otherwise known as a Bolivar Robusto, the Royal Corona was the first Cuban cigar to earn Cigar Aficionado magazine's coveted title of "Cigar of the Year" back in 2006. Great to smoke fresh out of the box, flavours of heavy leather and the classic Bolivar earthiness throughout, with the slightest touch of minerality and cedar provide the profile for this cigar.
To use a boxing analogy, regarding strength, if the Bolivar Royal Corona is Mike Tyson, then this Port Charlotte is George Foreman. The Islay Barley line is a production that is the embodiment of what they believe to be the purest whisky from Islay. “Conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on the island, with barley raised on our home shores by seven of our farming partners,” Port Charlotte are thought to be the first to produce a whisky exclusively produced on the Islay island. This 2013 single malt has been matured for 7 years in ex-American whiskey barrels. 25% of the cask was then extracted to put into first fill French wine casks before being married back together for bottling. Heavily peated and malted to a phenol level of 40 PPM (parts per million), there is a light smoke flavour on the palette, but is joined by the ripe fruit and floral notes you would expect from the wine cask. The complex flavours are explosive but is subtly tempered by elements from the American oak like toasted oak and malt.
The combination has a contrasting flavour profile on the nose and palette, but it works so well in this instance. The dryish taste of leather and earth accentuates the floral and fruity notes of the whisky on the nose and palette. However, the beauty of this combination is found in the heavy smoke finish of the whisky where the next draw of the cigar’s leather and earth notes override that evident peat and the more subtle oak and malt. A cycle of powerful flavours to have after the most heartiest of evening meals.
Padron Anniversary 1926 Principe Maduro – Redbreast Lustau
If you ask many a cigar aficionado with great knowledge of non-Cuban cigars, it would be fair to say there are only a handful of brands that would automatically come to mind as one of the best. Undoubtedly for us Padron would be one of those brands - immaculate from start to finish, from production to smoking.
The 1926 Anniversary Principe Maduro is one of the best little cigars you can come across in the entire industry. Delicate in size but the plethora of flavour for such a small cigar can not be overstated, flavours come in abundance. Beginning sweet, but evolving nicely into darker, fuller notes of earth and coffee bean, you will find it hard to put down and that 30 minutes will fly by. It is perfect for after a dessert at dinner as you wind down the evening after a night on the town. Somewhere with an outside or, even better, rooftop bar and a good selection of whisky, is always a great option. Because of the apparent sweetness from the start of the Padron because of the maduro wrapper, we are thinking to match that sweetness with a different type of sweetness from the Redbreast Lustau Edition Irish whisky.
According to Redbreast, “Born of a unique collaboration between the Bodegas Lustau and the Midleton Distillery, Redbreast Sherry Finish Lustau Edition is initially matured in traditional bourbon and sherry casks for a period of 9-12 years. It is then finished for 1 additional year in first fill hand selected sherry butts that have been seasoned with the finest Oloroso sherry from the prestigious Bodegas Lustau in Jerez.”
With all this going during the maturing process it is not a surprise that we have a high degree of sweetness attack to the taste and scent senses. The nose will have a profound dark fruit and liquorice scent, with aromatic spices obvious too, completing a dissection of a quite complex whisky. The slightly-high 46% ABV isn’t as noticeable as others of the same strength because we feel that the warmth relates from the spices and sherry on the palette – flavours that bring warmth, especially in winter. These flavours accentuate the notes of the Padron as the dark sweetness meets the warm harmony from this particular Redbreast.
We will create another pairing sampler in the new year featuring cigars that go best with particular Cognacs and another for Rum.
You can purchase minis and samples of the featured whisky from many of the online whisky & spirits retailers. A big thank you to The Whisky Exchange London Bridge for allowing us to shoot a few photos in the shop.
