Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – Bulleit Bourbon
Cigars and alcohol. Two luxury products that go hand in hand, and sometimes even meet on business level. Aging tobacco in whisky, rum, or cognac barrels is a practice several brands do to achieve extra flavour to the wrapper for certain lines.
The famous bourbon brand Maker’s Mark has their own cigar, sold in tubes with the signature wax coating. Drew Estate works with Pappy van Winkle and used to make Kahlua cigars. Mombacho used to have the Diplomatico series but Mombacho no longer exists. General Cigars works with Sazerac, which resulted in Fireball cigars, Weller by Cohiba and collaborations with Buffalo Trace. And there is the Diesel Whisky Row, a collaboration with Rabbit Hole Distilleries. Fratello Cigars also sells craft beer.
Most famous are probably the Cuban collaboration between Martell Cognac and Cohiba. Dominique London, the European retailer with more than 20 shops in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland and the Canary Islands takes it one step further. They bought a distillery in Wales and produce whisky, gin, rum, vodka and liquors.
Bulleit Bourbon
Established in 1987, Bulleit has swiftly become one of America’s fastest-growing whiskey brands. It’s remarkable growth is credited to the embrace of bartenders and cultural collaborators who have made it their own. The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey range adheres to the time-honoured Bulleit family tradition of distillation and aging, utilizing a unique high rye recipe that imparts a bold, spicy, yet remarkably smooth flavor profile. At the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Bulleit earned prestigious accolades, including a Double Gold medal for Bulleit 10 Year Old, and Gold Medals for Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye.
In 2017, marking its 30th anniversary, Bulleit commemorated the occasion by inaugurating a cutting-edge distillery in Shelbyville, KY. This facility embodies a commitment to sustainability, integrating practices such as natural habitat preservation, water conservation, and sourcing local ingredients. Recognized with the Highly Commended award for Sustainable Distillery of the Year at the 2020 Icons of Whisky Awards by Whisky Magazine, Bulleit Distilling Company exemplifies environmental stewardship.
Bulleit Bourbon draws inspiration from a recipe crafted over 150 years ago, showcasing a dedication to using only the finest ingredients. Its distinctive blend of rye, corn, barley malt, proprietary yeast strains, and Kentucky limestone-filtered water delivers a bourbon of unparalleled subtlety and complexity. With its notably high rye content, Bulleit Bourbon boasts a robust, spicy character culminating in a clean, smooth finish.
Neat
Of course the first tasting happens in my trusty Glencairn glass. The amber coloured spirit has a nice nose without a lot of ethanol. I do smell orange zest, vanilla and a toasty oak. The bourbon is spicy, with orange notes, winter spices and tobacco leaves. The finish is quite long and spicy, but with a nice smoothness. A slightly sweet and creamy cigar with some body would be a great pairing, a stronger Connecticut Shade cigar for example.
The nose is milder in a rocks glass, with even a little hint of liquorice with the orange, vanilla and oak aromas. The flavour profile when drinking is similar to drinking it from a Glencairn glass, and therefore I would recommend the same cigar. If you push me for names, I will name the Charter Oak Shade for example, or the Undercrown Shade.
Old Fashioned
it’s no surprise that this Old Fashioned smells like orange, due to the orange peel, but the Angostura bitters shine through in the nose as well. The bitters play a big part in the flavour through as they work wonderful with the winter spices of the Bulleit bourbon. The orange is enhanced by the garnish, and the sugar cube balances everything and makes the drink a bit smoother. A nice medium bodied cigar with woody notes will pair well, but also a stronger Maduro cigar with some chocolate notes will create a combination to remember.
And now for the Old-Fashioned recipe:
1 sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters
2 oz or 60 ml of whisky
orange peel
Put the sugar cube in a highball glass, add the dashes of bitters and a splash of water. Muddle the sugar cube. Add ice and the whisky. Stir for 10 seconds, then add an orange peel.
Bulleit Bourbon Sour
The nose is citrus with egg white. The cocktail is tart, with a lot of citrus but the simply syrup balances it. Though it is a bit too citrus forward to pair well with cigars. The egg creates a nice texture though while the vanilla and toasted oak of the bourbon provide some depth and make it an interesting drink. This needs a stronger cigar with earthy flavours.
And now for the Bulleit Bourbon Sour recipe:
1½ ounce of 45ml of Bulleit Bourbon
¾ ounce or 22½ml of Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
¾ ounce or 22½ml of Simple Syrup
1 egg white
Add bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white into shaking tins. Shake without ice to emulsify the egg. Add ice, shake again and then Strain over ice into a rocks glass. Garnish with cherry, lemon swath, or candied orange
Inspector X
