Stalla Dhu Caol Ila Review, Recipes & Pairings

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 has the Diplomatico series. 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. They were kind enough to sponsor Cigar Inspector with samples so we can write about pairings.

Stalla Dhu

Stalla Dhu is an independent bottler. They purchase barrels from famous distilleries and bottle them. The first- and second-generation members of the family carefully select whiskies that show promise and then age them in their own casks before bottling. The Stalla Dhu Caol Ila has a 94 rating from the International Whisky & Spirits Competition 2021. It has been bottled at the cask strength of 60.4% abv and aged during 11 years in a Hogshead cask. The whisky was distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2020. each bottling comes with a unique number, with only 287 bottles being released. Our bottle was bottle 44, and the we can even give you the cask number: 322478.

Recently was at a whisky tasting where I was shocked by the difference in glass. In Glencairn glass the whisky was like liquid chocolate, in a highball glass, the same whisky was almost undrinkable, flat and not palatable. So, I am trying this whisky in both glasses, neat and diluted with some water or ice, then as an old fashioned, and as a Highball to see what to pair the whisky with.

Caol Ila is a whisky with a smoky and peaty character, so I am not the best person to try this whisky. I prefer the sweeter whiskies; a sherry cask is always a big plus. Smoke and peat are not my preferred flavours. The Stalla Dhu Caol Ila is quite light in colour. In the Glencairn glass it has a smoky, peaty and medicinal nose of turf. It tastes sweet and spicy at the same time with peat, smoke and dried fruits. After a drop of water, the whisky also reveals dark chocolate with the earlier mentioned flavours. Even though it is a high ABV, cask strength whisky, it doesn’t burn that bad in the back of the throat. The aftertaste has lots of red pepper. A medium to full cigar with some sweetness would be a fantastic match for this whisky and I can see myself on a cold night with this combination in front of a fireplace.

After the Glencairn glass, I tried the Stalla Dhu Coal Ila in a highball glass, on the rocks this time. The nose is much milder with just some smoke and peat. The mouthfeel is warmer with less of a bite. Since the nose plays a big part of the tasting process, the flavours are slightly different too. Less peaty, black pepper instead of red pepper, smoke and a hint of chocolate. Of you drink this whisky in a highball glass I would recommend a stronger, more peppery cigar. If you have access to the brand new Cohiba 55 Anniversario, this would be the perfect cigar to go with it. Or something on the stronger side from A.J. Fernandez although a My Father Le Bijou 1922 could do the trick as well.

As an Old Fashioned, build in a highball glass, the nose changes to smoke but now with some sweetness and orange from the oils of the orange peel. That just a little bit sugar, a few dashes of bitters and a slice of orange peel can make such a difference is fascinating, even after drinking so many old fashioned. The drink is way more accessible, its smoky and peppery, with a little bit of orange and a hint of bitterness. The drink is also not as strong anymore. A medium to full bodied cigar can easily hold its own. The cocktail has some earthy tones that would pair very well with a Liga Privada T52 or a Bolivar Royal Coronas in my opinion.

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.

I mentioned the term “highball glass” in each whisky pairing article. That’s a standard whisky glass. And to make it a bit confusing, the next cocktail is called a Highball but it’s served in a Collins glass. On the nose, this cocktail doesn’t do much because of the ginger ale and the ice. If there is any aroma, its from the ginger ale. The cocktail itself is mild smoky with sweetness, spice and freshness from the ginger ale. For me, as someone who’s not into peaty whisky, this is a great cocktail to still enjoy these kinds of whisky. The mouthfeel is dry to to the high alcohol content. But this is also a hard cocktail to match with a cigar. This needs something not too strong, yet full of flavour. Not to peppery nor too sweet. Maybe a Ramon Allones Specially Selected or a Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro or the relatively new Undercrown 10 are up for the job.

Highball recipe:

60ml or 2oz of whisky

120ml or 4oz of Ginger Ale (you can also use Club Soda). I used Ginger Ale
Ice

Fill a Collins glass with ice. Add the whisky and then add the ginger ale or Club Soda. Stir gently and enjoy.