Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – Stalla Dhu Glen Garioch 10-year-old Margaux Cask Strength
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.
Stalla Dhu Glen Garioch 10-year-old Margaux Cask Strength
Glen Garioch distillery (pronounced “Geery” in the Doric dialect of Aberdeen) is one of the oldest whisky distilleries in Scotland, dating back to 1797. The location chosen by John & Alexander Manson for their malt whisky distillery in 1797 was an obvious one. Oldmeldrum in the celebrated ‘Valley of the Garioch’ was named “The Granary of Aberdeenshire”, famous for producing the finest barley in all of Scotland.
The distillery, which originally incorporated a brewery and tannery, stands on the very edge of the town Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire. The Garioch — pronounced ‘Geery’ — is a tract of richly fertile land, some 150 square miles (390 km2) in extent. The location is known as ‘the granary of Aberdeenshire’, where barley and crystal springs have been abundant for over a thousand years, so it is not surprising that Glen Garioch Distillery was established as early as 1794 — one of the oldest operating distilleries in Scotland.
In 1968 the production of Glen Garioch was suspended on account of ‘chronic water shortages’; however, in 1972 a manager was appointed with a brief to find another water source. A spring was discovered on a neighbouring farm. It came to be called ‘The Silent Spring’ as it could neither be seen nor heard.
Leading with the 1797 Founder’s Reserve at the heart of the range, Glen Garioch will periodically release hand selected individual batches of stock. Launched as ‘Single Batch Releases’. It is operated by Morrison Bowmore Distillers, which is owned by the Japanese company Beam Suntory.
This 10 year old Glen Garioch was bottled at the cask strength of 59.4% abv and finished in an exquisite cask from Château Margaux. What makes this release special is not only the limited availability of the liquid, with only 228 bottles released, but also the uniqueness and elegance provided by the resting period in the Margaux cask. Château Margaux is unquestionably the most renowned appellation of wine from the Bordeaux region, considered extremely prestigious and sophisticated.
Neat
Since glassware can make a huge difference in the tasting experience, I always try a whisky new to me in both a Glencairn glass and a rocks glass. First the Glencairn. The nose has a little ethanol but lots of summer fruits such as strawberries and cherry with cream and cake. The whisky packs a punch due to the high ABV, it is warming but the flavours are fruity, creamy and delicious. Peach, pumpkin and a nice pie, all quite creamy. The finish is slightly dry. The power of the whisky asks for a strong cigar, while the dry finish could do with a lighter cigar. So I’m going for a strong Connecticut Shade cigar, such as the Cimmaron Connecticut from Artista Cigars or a Corojo cigar from Aganorsa Leaf or a private label made by Aganorsa. For a Cuban cigar, think Quai d’Orsay.
The slightly oily whisky has a stronger ethanol aroma in a rocks glass. The same characteristics as in a Glencairn glass shine, but a bit milder as the aroma can escape through a wider glass. There is more of a burn and the creamy mouthfeel and taste is stronger, it now reminds me of a nice custard with fresh cherries and strawberries. The spirit coats the whole palate. If you drink this in a rocks glass, go for a slightly bolder smoke. Take for example the Rocky Patel DBS, or if you want some extra sweetness, Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Bull. This would work well with a Bolivar Royal Corona.
Old Fashioned
The nose has orange, but that’s expected. Just a peel of orange can dominate the nose so much, that only a peated and smoky whisky can cut through. This Glen Garioch isn’t peated nor smoky so it gets completely lost in the nose. But not in the flavour. The added sweetness from the sugar cube make it that the liquid has less of a burn, without losing its flavour. The bitters work well with the fruits, not so well with the creamy notes, but the bitters to add depth to the drink. I would pair this Old Fashioned with a medium to full bodied cigar, something with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper like the Tabernacle from Foundation, Muestra de Saka from Dunbarton or something with a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper such as Tatuaje’s Mexican Experiment. As for Cubans, go with a Partagas or Cohiba maduro. The sweetness from that wrapper will work wonders with the cocktail.
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.
Angus Collins
The Collins style of cocktails is famous, so famous that there is even a type of glass named ‘the Collins glass’. The most famous version is the Tom Collins, with gin, but I also made a Ron Collins with the El Rumbo Añejo for cigarinspector.com and now it’s time for a Collins style cocktail with Scotch whisky, the Angus Collins.
The nose is all citrus, but that’s no surprise with the amount of sour mix and the lemon twist. The flavour of this drink is citrus too, tart to the bone. I think this drink would benefit with less sour mix and instead add some ginger beer or ginger ale. Tune the sour mix down to 1½ ounce and add an ounce of ginger beer instead. I will try that soon. Or add some simple syrup to balance the citrus. This cocktail needs something very sweet, such as an Alonso Menendez from Brazil, a Sobremesa Brulee, Don Carlos Eye of the Bull, or even something flavour enhanced such as a Jas Sum Kral Munchies, Drew Estate’s Acid or Deadwood, or a coffee flavoured cigar such as the Nub coffee flavoured series, Rocky Patel Java or a PDR roast series. Another option is something very dark and earthy to counter the citrus.
And now for an Angus Collins recipe:
2 ounces or 60ml of Whisky
2½ ounce or 75ml of Sour Mix *
½ ounce or 15ml of Orange Juice, freshly squeezed
1 ounce or 30ml of Club Soda
1 Lemon Twist
Add all the ingredients, minus the lemon twist, to a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a Collins glass over fresh crushed ice. Garnish with the lemon twist.
*Sour mix (also known as sweet and sour mix) is a mixer that is yellow-green in colour and is used in many cocktails. It is made from approximately equal parts lemon and/or lime juice and simple syrup and shaken vigorously with ice. This produces a pearly-white liquid with a pronounced flavour.
Inspector X
