We have built a great relationship with the team at Bacardi UK in recent years, collaborating with them for many events in the last two years. Bacardi are more than just their legendary blanco rum – so much more! From their founding fathers moving into their first distillery in Santiago de Cuba in 1862, to a global conglomerate with a name recognisable across the world, Bacardi’s portfolio of brands have some absolute staple brands and can be rivalled by very few in the industry.

Our focus for cigar pairings has been mainly on their fantastic Scottish single malt whisky brands. We have been delighted to work with their team on six occasions so far, four Scotch events, all delivering fantastic experiences due the knowledge and expertise of their Single Malt Ambassador India Blanch and Business Development Manager David Behan. Also, teaming with the emerging drinks ecommerce retailer JPHA and their founder James Pham, we’ve been able to indulge guests, from connoisseurs, aficionados, diplomats, sporting and media personalities. The three brands we've paired with so far - Craigellachie , Aberfeldy & Royal Brackla

Left to right: David Behan, India Blanch, James Pham

King Charles III Coronation Celebrations – May 2023

A wonderfully eventful sampling evening was our start to the historic Coronation weekend for King Charles III. We partnered with the outstanding brands of Royal Brackla and Truefitt & Hill to host this prestigious evening as guests were treated to a very special night on St James’s.

Both brands have been recipients of Royal Warrants during their illustrious histories; Royal Brackla became the first whisky brand to receive a Royal Warrant, by appointment to King William IV in 1833, making them one of only three to have Royal in their distillery name, and one of two which are still in production. Truefitt & Hill are the world’s oldest barbershop, established on 1805 and a recipient of a Royal Warrant for their outstanding service for Men’s grooming rituals for first time in 1805 by King George III.

The cigar we chose for the evening was the quintessential Cuban Cigar, The Montecristo No.2. Arguably the most iconic Habanos cigar of the past 50 years, so it was an easy choice to make in terms of its prestige for the occasion, but the actual flavour profile worked exceptionally well for the pairing. The Montecristo No.2 epitomises the medium-to-full bodied profile, with a rich and complex flavour of leather, black pepper and earth notes. When paired with the Royal Brackla 21, the contrast of flavour with the 21 consisting of flavours of dried fruit and baking spices, allowed the flavours of both to accentuated further.

We were delighted to be joined by India Blanch for the first time as the brand ambassador of Royal Brackla. India gave great insight into the whisky and the fact they’re all sherry cask finishes by accompanying the whisky with the sherries they reside in - PX Pedro Ximanez, Oloroso and Palo Cortado. There are many different styles of sherry, and this added element gave guests a better understanding of how the casks manipulate the whisky, but also that sherry casks don’t always give a fruity, berry flavour which makes the liquid more reddish brown. Palo Cortardo for example is a herbaceous type of sherry with a light colour and minimal viscosity, so that sherry cask finish had a very different character to the more known PX and Oloroso casks.

We sampled the three whiskies in their portfolio - 21, 18 and 12. It was a real treat for the whisky lover as many would not be familiar with the brand, despite a prestigious history in Scotland. Only 1 person of the guests had ever tried it before the evening, but it was clear that 30 people left the evening as fans of the splendid whisky.

Our neighbours at Truefitt & Hill joined us to add another dimension of luxury to the night. The iconic men’s hairdressers and perfumers, at home at 71 St James’s Street, joined us to introduce their latest addition to their fragrance collection, Mayfair. We played the showcase video for Mayfair which featured some famous names in luxury lifestyle including Editor of The Rake Magazine, Tom Chamberlin. It is a wonderful fragrance with an irresistible scent: “plays true to tradition as it captures and celebrates the essence of what it means today to be an individual of great taste with panache and passion for life” It was a real privilege to host and meet their team, including their directors. All thanks are owed to Mr Austin Mutti-Mewse for his determination to collaborate for a fantastic evening and the Mayfair gifts he presented to guests on the night.

Craigellachie 37 & Lusitania Pairing Evening – May 2024

An aficionado level cigar and whisky pairing took place in our lounge as we sampled one of the most sought-after Habanos cigars, the Partagas Lusitanias. Pairing with a selection of Craigellachie Whisky, guests were offered one of our greatest pairings to date. It’s not often we pair with such a cigar, mainly because Lusitanias have become all too scarce in recent years. But we needed a cigar with the affection of cigar enthusiasts to pair with the grand Craigellachie 37 .

Sensational is the word that comes to mind and for many a reason. The Lusitanias were sensational. The flavour, the draw of each one, the colour of the wrapper, everything about the cigar provided the perfect cigar sampling experience. Then the whiskies starting with the highball featuring the Craigellachie 13, guests then indulged in the award-winning drams of the 17 (India’s personal favourite whisky), 23 and the extraordinary 37. Her expertise on Craigellachie enabled us to easily find the amazing flavours within the whisky. Pineapple and tropical fruit notes are apparent in the Craigellachie profile.

For the 37 in particular, an extraordinarily rich whisky, delicate in many ways with the customary Craigellachie notes of tropical fruits on the nose. While the spirit is 46.5%, that strength does come through on the palate in as much as the body as well as a mouth feel, with notes of flaky pastry and bread coming through with a little citrus. The Lusitania worked well with the 37, but in my opinion, it was suited perfectly to the Craigellachie 23 . The 23 has a slightly bolder and toasty profile compared to the others, a little more on the palate in terms of strength with more apparentness to deliver baking spice qualities like cinnamon, vanilla and toffee. Of course, the pineapple note is still there but it is more of a charred pineapple note. While the 37 is outstanding, for me, the 23 is a great whisky to pair with the signature spice character of the Partagas.

Nic Barker, our resident Master of Habanos, engaged the crowd with finding out how they are enjoying this particular box of Lusitanias. But if that wasn’t enough, guests were treated to one last whisky at the very end – Craigellachie Exceptional Single Cask 2007 Edition.