When pairing your spirits to your cigar.......do you normally look for similar characters or offsetting characters?

[El Presidente]

The internet is full of non articles like the ones below. They are click and SEO bait,  as shallow as a saucer, dressed up as an information piece. 

How to pair Whiskey with Cigars? .....well for a start I would keep the cigar lit morons....check the photo below 

 

However, let's delve a little deeper

 

When pairing your spirits to your cigar.......do you normally look for similar characters or offsetting characters?

Does your whiskey/bourbon/rum choice differ depending on whether you choose a BBF or a San Cristobal to smoke?

 

 

 

 

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How To Pair Whiskey With Cigars, an Age-Old Marriage

By Mark StockAugust 13, 2021 11:00AM

Even those who don’t puff can respect the tight-knit match of whiskey and cigars. It’s smoke on smoke, really, with one side complementing the other and vice versa. Yet, because there are so many flavors and styles on either side of this particular wedding aisle, it pays to have a little wisdom. That way, you’ll nail the pairing and see just how the two forces combine to create something rather extraordinary.

We know it’s not all about looks. But rest assured, you’re going to appear and feel like a badass when engaging in this age-old marriage. With a snifter in one hand and a stogie in the other, you can conquer the globe (or at least feel like you can).

Related Reading

• How to Smoke a Cigar
• Types of Cigars
• How to Drink Whiskey
• Best Whiskeys

Match by Makeup

A major rule most cigar buffs adhere to involves the makeup of both the cigar and the whiskey. Think of it in terms of weight — is it a heavy, peaty Scotch you’re working with or a relatively light and floral summertime Scotch? Are we dealing with something medium-bodied and spicy like a rye bourbon?

For example, a classic medium-bodied cigar like a Romeo y Julieta 1875 does wonders alongside a pour of lighter to medium Scotch, such as The Balvenie 14-Year Caribbean Cask. In fact, most whiskies given the rum treatment — a trending maneuver right now that sees distillers age or finish their work in barrels once used for rum — do particularly well with cigars. It’s a Caribbean love affair that’s a blast to explore.

Read up on your cigar of choice online or chat with your local shop owner. Following the guidance above, if you’re after a bold beast such as an Asylum Straight Jacket from Nicaragua, you will need whiskey with the muscle to stand up to it. We’re talking peaty Scotches or higher-proof bourbons. Maker’s 46 is a great selection in a scenario such as this.

Look for Both Offsetting and Sibling Flavors

This part can be a bit trickier, but not if you keep in mind some basic principles, many derived from the culinary arts. Fortunately, the flavor profiles of cigars tend to be similar. You’ll encounter a lot of things like vanilla, toffee, dried fruit, candied citrus, chocolate, roasted nuts, spices, etc.

Start by simply matching puzzle pieces. If a whiskey touts sweet and spicy notes like the vanilla and cinnamon you tend to get from Four Roses Small Batch bourbon, go with a cigar that offers a similar profile (something made from Corojo tobacco, perhaps, known for having a signature sweetness). It does not have to be a mirror image, but you’ll enjoy the syncing of certain sibling flavors. At the same time, you’ll likely see how some individual qualities in the cigar might bring out subtler notes in the whiskey — notes you might otherwise not get if you were just drinking it straight or mixing it in an Old Fashioned.

 

Look for offsetting opportunities, too. It’s a great way to temper some of the more pronounced notes either side can offer. In other words, if your whiskey is spicy, look for a cigar that can deliver some sweetness. If you’re getting a lot of earthiness and herbaceous qualities from you cigar, lift it up with some brightness and floral notes from a lighter whiskey, perhaps one not aged as long. Love those dark chocolate notes your cigar is throwing your way? Go with a nutty whiskey as the two flavors adore each other. In short, think less about styles and more about specific flavors and which ones you know work together. You’ve been eating and drinking long enough to know as much.

Trust your own palate, as no two are exactly alike, but you can at least get basic tasting notes from the cigar manufacturers and whiskey producers. Use these generalizations to weave together ideal pairings.

When in Doubt, Go Bourbon

If you don’t want to spend your time playing with the many permutations out there, just pick a sturdy bourbon. The American whiskey style tends to be a middle-of-the-road option. And we don’t mean that in a bland way. Instead, the style tends to offer a nice balance of fruit and oak, sweet and earthy, clean and rustic. A good bourbon will rarely overwhelm even the lightest of cigars. At the same time, it will rarely let you down if paired with a robust cigar.

Expand Your Options

Whisky is the go-to when it comes to cigar pairings but there’s no need to stop there. Spirits like rum, Cognac, and even some sherries can play off of a stogie nicely. We even like some stronger and fortified wines while having a puff. Try something bold like Tannat or Merlot, or a smooth and rich option like Porto. The higher ABV, the better, as generally, you’re going for heft over brightness and acidity here. What’s needed is a heady wine that can handle the big earth, baking spice, and tobacco notes cigars tend to offer. Even the heaviest of beers can go great things to cigars. Look for something like a high-octane barrel-aged stout or smoked porter next time you don your smoker’s jacket.

 

 

 

[GolfT3]

For me, I try to pair secondary notes in the cigar to primary notes in the drink. Primary to primary tends to drown everything else out. EG: Monte with a citrus/orange twang, go for Grand Marnier or maybe a martini with orange bitters. BBF with Irish coffee always brings out the creamier side of the cigar alongside the leather. Totally different flavors tend to be high risk and that’s not what I’m looking for in a relaxing night after work. Imperfect, but it’s fun to try and get the right combos.

[Meesterjojo]

I've tried to follow pairing suggestions, but my taste buds being whacky I've found that these suggestions overwhelm the cigar.

So I've gotten back to drinking port and pinot noir. And usually coffee or lighter sodas.

[Hammer Smokin']

I like to pair cigars with drinks I enjoy. 

I never consider flavours that may pair. If I feel like a Heineken, I grab one, and grab a cigar. 

next time I grab a Lagavulin 16...and I grab a cigar. 

i've found the best pairings are my favourite cigars paired with my favourite alcohols. 

[westg]

Was recommended this ,  no real sweetness , just  earthy chewy flavours. Best rum I have had with a cigar especially D4 and R& J Wide Churchill . Each to their own of course .

 

 

[dshot]

Honestly, I just pair with what I have and feels good at the time (Scotch, Beer, Rum, Bourbon, Irish Whiskey). I don't seek a pairing. I notice if a pairing is good but it happens randomly. For example Diplomatico rum and cigars. I bought a bottle because a friend mentioned the rum to me one day. So I tired it, liked it and that was the end of the story or when I was in Cuba. Our driver said just drink Santiago De Cuba so bam. I just started pairing those together. Another example, Woodford Bourbon, I liked the price at the store, sampled it, and then paired with a cigar and it worked. Perfect! Now it's my goto bourbon whiskey pairing. I know some guys chase down the perfect pairing, I don't, I feel like that's a rabbit hole I'll never come out of and plus I don't have the time. I let it happen like the Big Bang.

[karp]

I'll pair almost any drink with a cigar, but usually nothing too strong. Hoppy IPAs and peaty whisky just outcompete the cigar flavours... On the other hand, some drinks that are strong work - like a gin and tonic, but that's because their flavours are unlike the cigar itself. If I really want to delve into the flavours a sparkling water will do the trick but it's no fun.

Overall, I'm not religious about it but I definitely wouldn't pair a strong drink with a light cigar (i.e. an IPA with a Hoyo). It would just mess up both of them.

[Chas.Alpha]

Never a thought. When I get home, I pour me a wee measure of whatever I feel like then choose a stick, generally a PC or short robusto during the week. My favorite pairing is a light beer and a stick. An FOH video review featuring the Zacapa XO Centenario got me hooked on that, but only on the weekends...🙄

[Danskiz]

Westg, if you liked the Doorly’s XO, try the Real McCoy 12 as well.  Both come from foursquare so they are similar, but to my taste the RM12 is a good step up.  (The Doorly’s XO is quite good though).  My goto pairing is rum.  Regardless of if it’s a sweeter rum like Diplomatico or Zacapa 23, or a dryer rum like a foursquare offering or Flor de Cana, they all pair well.

Whiskey, and bourbon in particular pairs well to me as long as you don’t over power the cigar.  Your not going to get much out of a mild cigar if you pair it with a cask strength bourbon.

My favorite beers are porters and stouts, but for me they don’t pair well at all.  Tends to bring out the bitterness in the cigar.

[westg]

1 hour ago, Danskiz said:

Westg, if you liked the Doorly’s XO, try the Real McCoy 12 as well.  Both come from foursquare so they are similar, but to my taste the RM12 is a good step up.  (The Doorly’s XO is quite good though).  My goto pairing is rum.  Regardless of if it’s a sweeter rum like Diplomatico or Zacapa 23, or a dryer rum like a foursquare offering or Flor de Cana, they all pair well.

Whiskey, and bourbon in particular pairs well to me as long as you don’t over power the cigar.  Your not going to get much out of a mild cigar if you pair it with a cask strength bourbon.

My favorite beers are porters and stouts, but for me they don’t pair well at all.  Tends to bring out the bitterness in the cigar.

Well said , agree 💯

[wine65]

I tend to find I generally would rather have beer,  coffee, tea or a carbonated non-alcoholic beverage with my cigars. Never really enjoyed spirits or wine (except champagne) with cigars. 

[RDB]

I often pair a drink with a cigar because I want to match and emphasise a similar flavour in both. So for example a sweeter fruity flavour in a drink (like Port) will emphasise that character in a smoke. Coffee is of course a classic: you get the interplay of earthy tones. Sometimes food works too, especially chocolate or something else sweet.

This is different from food and wine pairing, where you often want contrast. For example an acidic wine to cut through the fat in a rich dish. But then again sometimes its nice to have a ‘clean’ drink to keep the palate fresh when smoking. 

Yes you could get into specific whisky and cigar pairings. The obvious parameter is strength of flavour, so you might go a higher proof, smokier whisky from the Islands with a big cigar like Bolivar. Delicate older Speyside with your 20 year old SLRs… But this is all pretty specialist stuff.

I do think it’s fun to try different cigar pairings, focus on the experience, and think about how they work together. But it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. When it comes to cigars, anyone saying ‘this must go with that’ is talking rubbish. Which again is not the case with wine: you really don’t want some massive red wine with delicate white fish, or dry sherry with dessert. 

Right now, in hot weather and the countryside, my favourite pairing is a daytime smoke with cold fizzy water!

[Greenhorn2]

Last cigar I  smoked I paired it with everything in the house. Bud Light, woodford reserve, tequila shots and moonshine.  Had a blast and really enjoyed the smoke.( Got drunk as Downtown Cooter Brown too!)

[Tstew75]

• Maybe it's just me but bourbon all but buries most CCs, short of maybe Boli & Partagas
• I think rum sings with most CCs...I reach for single-estate Jamaican stuff w/ high esters
• Lighter drinks like Gin/Campari/Soda tend to sing with most CCs, tho fuller bodied sticks can clash
• Almost all beers pair extremely well...ever had a BBF & a stout or porter? Heaven