The Stogie Guys

For me, the Evan Williams brand has always conjured a negative connotation, likely because it was the rail whiskey poured by inexperienced bartenders at all of my sleazy undergraduate watering holes. But now that the days of plastic cups, flat mixer sodas, and sticky bar floors are (mostly) behind me, I’ve set out to reacquaint myself with the distiller.

Named for the Bluegrass State’s first distiller, Evan Williams is the number two seller of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey in the U.S. (the first being Jim Beam). It is distilled and bottled at the Old Evan Williams Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, where Parker and Craig Beam oversee production. Corn, rye, and barley from local farmers are the main ingredients, as is a strain of yeast that has been in the Beam family for eight generations.

Like the name suggests, each bottle from the Single Barrel line originates from one specially selected barrel, which is why the bottles vary in color and flavor both within and between years. The whole idea is to create a “unique taste experience.” In line with that goal, each bottle comes complete with two born-on dates: one for the day it was placed in a charred white oak barrel to age, and one for the day it was bottled. The bottle sampled for this tasting was barreled on November 9, 1998, and bottled on June 12, 2008.

This practice of creating a new vintage every year has helped Evan Williams accumulate plenty of accolades, including “Whiskey of the Year” (The Spirit Journal, 1990) and “Spirit of the Year” (Food & Wine, 1992).

The Vintage 1998 incarnation is no exception. It earned a silver medal at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where it was heralded as “one of the best whiskey bargains around” and “a stylish and charming whiskey.” And Wine Enthusiast recently wrote it is “elegant and austere.”

This is, without a doubt, no rail spirit, and that becomes clear as the bourbon takes on a golden amber hue in the glass. With a slightly milky consistency—especially on the rocks—it presents a clean nose of butter, lemon, banana, and hay. The taste of melon, honey, and sugar is highlighted by a calming butterscotch finish. A spicy tingle creeps up at the very end, almost as if to remind you to take another sip.

While the flavor is big enough to stand up to most cigars, I think medium-bodied smokes pair best. Spice is a bonus, helping to offset some of the bourbon’s sweetness. Excellent compliments include the H. Upmann Signature, Cuban Crafters Cubano Claro, La Aurora Barrel Aged, and the Hoyo Epicure Especial.

Whatever you smoke, though, I think you’ll agree that the Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 1998 is an outstanding sipping bourbon—a far cry from any rail spirit. And with a price tag in the range of $25-35 per 750 ml. bottle, you needn’t fear buyer’s remorse.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With summer officially here, I find myself skipping the straight scotch and bourbon on the rocks for more refreshing mixed drinks to pair with a cigar.  One such libation is the Firefly Spiked Palmer, made with Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka.

Firefly is a unique drink that is taking the Southeast by storm.  Made on Wadmalaw Island, 30 miles south of Charleston in South Carolina, it is distilled four times and infused with tea from a plantation only a few miles from the distillery. Then, to get that distinctive sweet tea taste, they blend it with Louisiana sugar cane.

The result is a vodka that tastes like a stiff sweet tea and packs a serious punch at 70 proof.  That combination of flavor and strength makes it a great candidate for a mixed drink.

Perhaps the simplest and most popular Firefly mixed drink is the Firefly Spiked Palmer, an alcoholic take on the classic Arnold Palmer. To make one, simply mix one part Firefly with one part lemonade over ice. I found that Newman’s Own Lemonade works well because it has just enough sweetness, but really any lemonade would probably get the job done.

The result is a drink that tastes dangerously like just sweet tea with a spash of lemonade, meaning you could easily drink a few too many of these.

As for cigars, you’ll need something to stand up to all that sweetness. I’ve found bold maduros, like the CAO Brazilia, Arganese ML3, or EO 601 “Blue”, do the trick.

No matter what cigar you choose, I think you’ll enjoy changing things up a bit with the Firefly Spiked Palmer. While it’s a far cry from more traditional cigar pairings like scotch, bourbon, or cognac, it’s a refreshing change of pace during these warm summer months.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It’s hard to beat Angostura 1919 if you’re looking for a light sipping rum with a soothing, rounded heat. As I wrote in my review back in September, perhaps no other spirit is quite as relaxing or as complementary to a medium-bodied smoke. For those of us who also enjoy stronger and more flavorful stogies, though, sometimes the 1919 blend just doesn’t pack enough punch. That’s where the older and more expensive Angostura 1824 comes in.

This highly esteemed rum honors the year Angostura got its start as a maker of concentrated food and beverage flavorings. The Trinidad & Tobago-based company’s beginnings can be traced back to 1824 when a surgeon general in Simón Bolívar’s Venezuelan army sought to improve the appetite and digestive well-being of the soldiers.

It wasn’t until 1947 that Angostura began to ferment, distill, age, blend, and bottle rum in Laventille, Trinidad. Today Angostura produces over 600,000 cases of rum each year, most of which is shipped to America, Great Britain, and other Caribbean islands.

The 1824 blend, which sells for around $55 per 750 ml. bottle (40% alcohol by volume), is Angostura’s flagship rum. It is made from “the finest mature rums, hand-picked by the master blender from select casks.” Aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels for at least 12 years, the rum is hand-blended and re-casked until it reaches its “optimum maturity” before it is hand-drawn.

Each individually numbered bottle of Angostura 1824 is decked out with a gold ornamental medallion and a wax-encased cork. Dark with a brilliant reddish hue, it pours with a pungent nose of sweet, smoky notes that include fruity orange and raisin and creamy honey and vanilla.

I find the taste—which others have described as similar to toffee, spice, butterscotch, and nuts—is best compared to charred molasses and caramel. That smoky sensation from the nose carries over well to the palate. The finish is nearly everlasting, warm, and highlighted by a clinging spice.

With this array of flavorful complexity, Angostura 1824 isn’t difficult to pair with a cigar. You’ll have to find your own perfect match through trial and error, but the LFD Double Ligero Chisel, Hoyo Petit Robusto, and the Montecristo Cabinet Selección Belicoso are good places to start.

If this bold blend sounds like your cup of tea, and if you don’t mind paying top dollar for top-quality rum, go ahead and make an investment in a bottle. That decision will pay big dividends neat or on the rocks.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Ever wondered what peat tastes like? Scotch is often described as having “peatiness,” but an exact description of the flavor is hard to come by. It seems some things are easier to taste than to describe, and that’s where the Tasliker 10 Year Single Malt Scotch helps out.

The Talisker 10 Year is dominated by peatiness, which makes it a Scotch that not everyone will like, but some will love. The peaty flavor comes from the distinctive terrain that surrounds the Talisker, the only Scotch Whisky distillery on the Isle of Skye in West Scotland.

Talisker, located in Carbost, has been making Scotch since 1830. The distillery, which is owned by the spirits conglomerate Diageo, makes Single Malt Scotch with ages varying from 10 to 30 years.

The Talksker 10 Year is the youngest Talisker single malt available and is available for $35-40 for a fifth. It has a golden amber hue and a vibrant nose filled with peat, pepper, and vanilla.

On the palate you get more of the distinctive peatiness, with plenty of salty ocean flavor and an underlying sweetness. The finish is deep, peppery, and tapers off to a meaty charred flavor.

It is a great scotch to pair with a cigar, but not any cigar can stand up to the intense flavors of the Talisker. I’d suggest going with a  strong, full-bodied stick with plenty of pepper, earth, or cedar.

I enjoyed the Talisker with the Padilla 1932 and the Cubao.  I’d also recommend the Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure Especial, the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992, or the EO 601 Serie Oscuro.

No matter what cigar you choose, you’ll find the Talisker 10 Year Single Malt to be a distinctive pairing. While that distinctive peatiness isn’t particularly approachable for the novice scotch drinker, those who love powerful,peaty single malts will find the Talisker 10 to be a little slice of heaven.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

While I’ve peripherally enjoyed Cruzan products since my college days, I didn’t really know much about this St. Croix-based distiller until last summer’s trip to St. Thomas, another U.S. Virgin Island. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed many Cruzan drinks during that heavenly week.

In case you’re not familiar with their operation, Cruzan originally began producing rum from pot stills eight generations ago and today uses a continuous column distillation process. The name of company (pronounced kru-shun) comes from the island—inhabitants are called “Crucians.” This seems fitting because, if you poke around enough on Cruzan’s website, you’ll notice they take great pride in St. Croix and its history.

That history is rich and varied. The island has been controlled by seven different nations since Christopher Columbus first landed on St. Croix’s shores in 1493 (Spain, England, Holland, France, Malta, Denmark, and now America). It thrived due to sugar output, which made it a naturally fitting locale for rum production. And even though cane is no longer grown on St. Croix, Cruzan’s business is supported by molasses imports.

You might remember Cruzan as the first major rum company to come up with flavored rums—from banana and black cherry to coconut and pineapple. As you might imagine, however, I’m more interested in their darker creations. So today I’ll be looking at their flagship product: Cruzan Single Barrel Estate, which sells for around $25-30 per 750 ml. bottle (40% alcohol by volume).

Cruzan employs a two-step process to create this spirit, which is regarded by many as a complex yet approachable sipping rum. First, they blend 5-12 year old rum, produced in small batches and aged in oak. Then they give the blend secondary aging for 6-12 months in single white American oak barrels. So the term “single barrel” means that the blend is aged in “new” oak casks for approximately one more year and then bottled one cask at a time.

But enough background. My individually numbered bottle of Cruzan Single Barrel Estate boasts a dark golden pour with vanilla and butterscotch on the nose. While honey and oak are the dominant flavors, as you’d expect, I also found a cognac-like taste with traces of fruit and caramel. Straightforward with a light yet lingering finish.

A dash of water or and ice cube or two smoothes out the spice. Don’t overdo it, though. This rum is rounder than most and it evens out quickly, so take the minimalist approach—enjoy it neat and savor every sip.

Don’t take that recommendation as a sign that this is one of those overly subtle, delicate rums. To the contrary, the Single Barrel Estate is versatile and medium-bodied, making it easy to pair with cigars.

I didn’t find a bad combination in my “research,” but some particularly good complements include the La Aurora Barrel Aged, Montecristo Edmundo, Bravo Colombian Gold, and the Cupido Tuxedo. I hope you enjoy exploring some pairings of your own.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

My colleague recently wrote about Buffalo Trace bourbon, made at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Before it was renamed in 1999, it was called the George T. Stagg Distillery, which is now the name of a limited production bourbon that Buffalo Trace releases annually.

Stagg is a beast of a bourbon, bottled at full cask strength and unfiltered from barrel to bottle. While the exact strength varies with each annual release, the bourbon is noted for its high proof, with some people even referring to it as “Hazmat” because it is illegal to transport on airplanes due to its high alcohol content (and thus flammability).

In order to create Stagg, Buffalo Trace ages the bourbon in traditional charred oak  barrels for 15 to 16 years. Then, without filtering, they mix all the barrels from each vintage (89, according to one account) and sell bottles for around $60 each.

The bottle I sampled was from the 2008 release, which was bottled at  141.8 proof (70.9% ABV). As you might imagine, the high proof is a defining characteristic. Think of it this way: Since this bourbon isn’t cut with water like most, it’s twice as much bourbon flavor as nearly the same amount of more traditional 80 proof Kentucky bourbon.

That strength gives off a seriously strong spicy oak aroma with caramel notes. The color is a deep brown mahogany with a slightly cloudy hue due to its unfiltered nature.

The dominant taste corresponds with the nose, with an intense cedar spice. Underneath you’ll find a syrupy combination of blackcurrant, unsweetened chocolate, and a hint of apple. The finish is spicy, long, and wheaty.

I’d suggest preparing the Stagg neat, then adding water (use spring or distilled water as opposed to low-grade tap water) to dilute it to taste. I’ve found that just a few drops of water opens up this bourbon perfectly without diluting its powerful nature.

With that intensity, you’ll need a full-bodied cigar. Chocolaty and cedary cigars particularly come to mind with some examples being the Alonso Menendez, Fuente Sun Grown, Bolivar Royal Corona, Tatuaje Black, and Davidoff Maduro R. But really any favorite full-flavored cigar will go well.

Ultimately, not everyone will enjoy the unadulterated intensity of George T. Stagg, especially those who like their bourbon sweet and smooth. Still, this is a special bourbon that every true bourbon lover should try at least once.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

When people think tequila, many think of margaritas or a burning shot sandwiched between a lick of salt and a wedge of lime. Tequila Ocho is out to break tequila’s frat boy reputation and remind you that tequila can be as refined as a top scotch, bourbon, or cognac. Towards that end, it succeeds in impressive fashion.

Tequila Ocho is the first single estate vintage tequila to be introduced in the U.S. That means all the agave plants used—100% blue agave—are grown on a single plot of land and, like vintage bourbon, from a single harvest (in this case 2008).

Unlike grapes where the same plot of land will bear ripe fruit every year, agave takes ten years before it is mature enough for harvest. This means that the plots of land used for the 2009 release will not be ready to produce agave ready to be distilled again until 2018, adding to the rare nature of each vintage.

Tequila Ocho comes in three variations, Plata and Reposado, which can be found in select cities in the U.S., and an Anejo which, due to the extra aging that is required, won’t be available until the summer.

The Reposado, the subject of this article, and the Plata are both made from agave from Las Pomez, an estate located in the “Los Altos” highlands. According to Tequila Ocho, this high elevation produces “extremely high sugar content in the agave plant.”

Whether it’s that high sugar content or something else, the Reposado has a wonderful nose. Not at all harsh on your nostrils, it is best described as delicate with a lemon custard aroma and a hint of pine.

But it really shined when the Ocho Reposado, which I tasted neat, finally touched my tastebuds. It greeted me with a smooth burst of citrus, mint, and oak. The finish was long and gentle. In case you’re wondering, sucking on a wedge of lime after sipping this smooth, subtle tequila would be wholly inappropriate.

Tomas Estes, one of two people to be named an official “Tequila Ambassador” by the Mexican government and a driving force behind Tequila Ocho, says he likes to pair Tequila Ocho with milder Mexican smokes. I’d certainly agree that a milder smoke is best, so as not to overwhelm the Reposado’s subtle flavors. Three cigars that come to mind are the Ashton Classic, Fuente Privada, or Ybor City Handmade. (That mild profile is the exact opposite of the cigars photographed with the Tequila Ocho: an Opus X Chili Pepper, a Cohiba Pirámides Edición Limitada 2006, and a Padrón Serie 1926.)

At $70 per bottle, the Tequila Ocho Reposado 2009 is not cheap. But the money would be well spent on a superb tequila that will expand your notion of what tequila can be.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys