Blended Scotch and Cigars
They introduced Scotch to the world. They make single-malt
production economically feasible. They're the product of a delicate and
venerable art form. Yet blends are the forgotten Scotch, left in the
shadows of the single-malt insurgence. Jack Bettridge,
Cigar Aficionado's
senior features editor, recently visited the great blenders of Scotland
and discovered that their quaff is worth a closer look. The story
appears in the October 2001 issue of the magazine. Get a preview by
reading the results of the Scotch and cigar pairing, below.
A panel of three
Cigar Aficionado senior editors tasted eight
blended Scotch whiskies, pairing them all with a Don Tomás Dominican
Selection Corona Gorda and a Cohiba Esplendido.
CHIVAS REGAL 12-YEAR-OLD -- 80 proof -- core malt: Strathisla --
The Speyside malts inform the honeyed freshness and ethereal quality of
this elegant blend. There are tart fruits (lemon and green apple) on the
nose and palate and hints of hard candy in the finish, which also
includes a bit of sting. Opens up nicely with ice. When paired with the
Don Tomás, there seemed to be a disturbance in the force that makes the
Scotch great. The cigar, nevertheless, became oilier. The Cohiba was
much more the equal partner. It took on more leather and gave a
stronger, smoother, more honeyed body to the whisky.
CHIVAS REGAL 18-YEAR-OLD -- 80 proof -- core malts: Strathisla,
The Glenlivet, Glen Keith and Longmorn -- The older brother to the
standard Chivas does exactly what a superpremium expression should do,
bringing all the inspirations into finer focus. All the charms of
Speyside are here. The floral nose is beguiling. The fruit and honey
spin together lusciously. The taste is succulence itself. Fruit, herbs,
spice, maple -- all pitch into a candy quality that begs you to sip it
neat, but rewards you with a long subtle peatiness when water is added.
The Don Tomás gave little to the whisky and took on a reediness itself.
The Cohiba and the Chivas, on the other hand, sang to each other.
Sweetness and leather, mixed with cashews, passed back so easily between
cigar and Scotch, it was hard to tell which partner brought what to the
party.
CUTTY SARK -- 80 proof -- cores malts: The Glenrothes, The
Glengoyne and Tamdhu -- Created to appeal to light-whisky lovers, it
achieves its aim from color to finish. A light floral nose with a hint
of sour wine is soon overwhelmed by a smoky, peaty palate that tastes of
chewy bread dough with almost no sweetness. The pronounced experience
is a brilliant clarity with just a touch of oiliness on the finish. The
Scotch seemed to sweeten up the Don Tomás, while offering up more of its
own smoke in the trade. The Cohiba, however, easily outran the whisky,
which became quite reedy next to the fuller-bodied cigar.
DEWAR'S SPECIAL RESERVE -- 86 proof -- core malt: Aberfeldy --
Dewar's introduction of a 12-year-old, brings the brand into a
fuller-bodied realm than its standard White Label, America's
largest-selling Scotch. A flowery but delicate nose on the 12-year-old
belies the rich peatiness that develops on the middle palate. The
addition of ice opens up the honey and maple syrup flavors associated
with its lighter-bodied younger brother and tempers its earthy flavor.
The whisky harmonizes quite well with the Don Tomás, as the cigar
furthers the honey character and has its rough edges rounded by the
Scotch. With the Cohiba, an almost perfect match ensues, the whisky
becoming more full bodied and the cigar taking on leather notes.
THE FAMOUS GROUSE -- 80 proof -- core malts: The Glenrothes and
Tamdhu -- Scotland's most popular blend came by its name as a device for
marketing to nineteenth-century hunters. The whisky certainly smacks of
the toasty, grainy flavors that will warm you during a cold day of
stalking birds. A bread dough nose is followed by notes of ginger and
light melon on the palate. Delicate and pleasant, it has a rum finish
that whispers of peat and goes on and on. With the Don Tomás, it proved a
lackadaisical match. The cigar took on wheatiness, but returned the
favor with salt. The Grouse did much better with the Cohiba. The Scotch
took on an even longer finish and the cigar got sweeter and more
perfume-like.
THE FAMOUS GROUSE GOLD RESERVE -- 80 proof -- core malts:
Bunnahabhain, The Glenrothes, Highland Park and Tamdhu -- The
12-year-old version of the Grouse announces itself with additional
complexity and a stronger role for the malts. The nose is honeyed and
carries through to the palate, the rum quotient more pronounced and the
savory flavors more discernible as burnt nuts and French bread. An ice
cube opens it up nicely. The Don Tomás took on a pleasant sweetness with
the pairing, and its finish was elongated. With the Cohiba, the cigar's
oiliness showed to best effect and it became nutty as well.
JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL -- 80 proof -- core malts: Cardhu, Caol
Ila, Royal Lochnagar, Mortlach -- While Blue Label states no age, many
of its constituents are positively patriarchal, which is reflected in
the high price tag. The limited bottling goes straight for the nose with
salt and peat that speak of its Islay pedigree. On the tongue, the
whisky develops fruit and sweet honey notes that stay in balance with an
insistent woodiness at the core. A gummy finish may be cleaned up by
the addition of water. The Don Tomás proved an unfortunate match. The
greatness of the Scotch showcased the cigar's shortcomings and a
peatiness came out on the whisky. With the introduction of the Cohiba,
however, the blend reveals its myriad intricacies. The Scotch gives the
cigar leather and chocolate qualities that had laid dormant, although
there is the briefest moment of saccharine.
JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD LABEL -- 80 proof -- core malts: Cardhu,
Talisker, Royal Lochnagar -- This 18-year-old falters in emulating the
complexity and smoothness of the Blue Label, but makes up for it with a
rich chewy, toasty, nutty character that the Blue lacks. Nor is the Gold
Label as relentlessly peaty and smoky. The finish betrays a bit of a
bite, but none of the soap or gum of the Blue Label. The pairing with
the Don Tomás proved so-so. While the blend tried to pull the Don Tomás
through sheer gumption, the cigar just didn't have the energy. With the
Cohiba, the Gold imparted a toasted nuttiness to the cigar.
Return to the Drinks Page.
