Let’s begin by confronting the “cigar blend” in the modern whiskey industry. What is a cigar blend anyway? Why does it exist at all?
To be clear before I begin, I am an avid cigar smoker. I began smoking cigars nearly 20 years ago. As a cigar smoker, I can’t help but wonder what distillers/blenders are thinking when they release cigar blends. Many cigar blends are made by people who do not smoke cigars, so how does that work exactly? The general understanding within the industry is that cigar blends are crafted to “stand up to the intense flavors of a cigar.” This description is exactly why cigar smokers like me tend to avoid the “cigar blend.” Quality cigars do not have intense flavors. Their flavors are nuanced and layered and develop as a cigar is smoked. They do, however, have an intense scent. That scent can be off-putting to people who do NOT smoke cigars, so it’s understandable that one might be led to believe that a heavy-bodied whiskey would be necessary to counter-balance all that smoke. I assure you, it is NOT. The cigar smoker’s palate is not suddenly destroyed by a cigar any more than their palate would be destroyed by very flavorful food. I assure you, a cigar smoker’s taste buds are quite capable of determining how good or bad your whiskey is while they’re smoking. A cigar can enhance the flavors in whiskey (and vice versa) in the same way that anything else interacting with your palate might.
Whiskeys released as “cigar blends” are a very modern concept. Thankfully, the first two people to create whiskeys meant to be paired with cigars were, indeed, smokers. The first cigar-inspired whiskey brand was the brainchild of Richard Patterson, OBE of The Dalmore, a third-generation master blender also known as “The Nose.” Patterson’s creation, called the Dalmore Cigar Malt was launched in 1999. This single malt scotch whisky was a blend/vatting of Dalmore whiskies finished mainly in sherry barrels with the added influence of ex-bourbon and cabernet sauvignon red wine casks. Patterson’s Cigar Malt was intended for the scotch whiskey consumer and tapped into old European traditions of re-using wine casks for maturation while also following the lead of other scotch whiskey bottlers that were widely embracing secondary maturation techniques at the time. The “Cigar Boom” hit its peak in America in the late 1990s, so the direct marketing of a “Cigar Malt” as a luxury product for American cigar smokers was a clever strategy. The Dalmore Cigar Malt disappeared from the market in 2009 and returned several years later (at an inflated price) just in time for the bourbon boom in the United States. By 2016, Nancy Fraley was introducing the Joseph A. Magnus & Co. cigar blend to the American whiskey market. She brought her extensive background in brandy production to her own blend of Kentucky and Indiana bourbon whiskeys. Like Patterson, she used sherry barrels, but also included Armagnac and cognac finishes to replicate the “rancio” notes found in French-style brandies. Fraley’s use of brandy finishing was not only an interesting departure from what Patterson had done, but it was rooted in a much older tradition of pairing cigars with brandy. Fraley’s use of brandy was not new to the scotch whisky or brandy-making industries, but it WAS new to the American bourbon whiskey industry, and that was her intended audience. Many other American cigar blends have been introduced to the market, most of which have been bourbon blends and almost all of which seem to piggyback on the idea that cigar blends require a “rancio” note. Whenever I sample a cigar blended bourbon, I often find myself wondering who the intended audience for the whiskey was to begin with- because I’m not sure they were made for cigar smokers as much as they were for bourbon drinkers who don’t particularly enjoy cigars but like the idea of smoking dens and private clubs with soft, leather chairs.
Why do cigar smokers and whiskey drinkers tend to cross paths? The easy answer is because smoking and drinking are complimentary vices. Much like rich food and wine or chocolate and port or cheese and…well, cheese and anything. The better answer is that tobacco and alcohol have a very long history together. Traditionally, cigars and brandy (or whiskey) were taken after a meal. The ritual of smoking after a meal is relaxing, and the nicotine in the tobacco can help to counteract postprandial somnolence (aka “a food coma”!). Liquor acts as a digestive, helping to calm your nerves and relax you while enhancing the liquid’s flavors on a stimulated palate. Cigar rooms (smoking dens or home libraries) during the 19th and 20th centuries, were the place where gentlemen would retire after a meal for their brandy, cigars, and private discussions. But it wasn’t just well-heeled men enjoying this custom.
Cigars and whiskeys came in all sizes, shapes, and price points to cater to every type of customer, so barrooms, billiard halls, and retail shops across America sold liquor and cigars side by side. While it may be hard to fathom today, during the 1890s, approximately 4 billion cigars were sold annually in the U.S., and after the turn of the 20th century, 7 out of every 10 American men smoked them. Obviously, that number has plummeted over the last hundred years, but modern marketing companies have crafted this notion that cigars and whiskey are reserved exclusively for elite, genteel members of society (aka wealthy white men). This silly notion has been cast aside by modern cigar smokers as more working-class men and women have embraced the quiet pastime of smoking cigars and drinking whiskey. More women are smoking and drinking, and modern cigar lounges now welcome anyone and everyone- as long as they purchase their cigars from the establishment’s humidor and adhere to the rules of the house. (To read about David A. Schulte, the cigar tycoon of N.Y.C., you can read THIS.)
As I’ve said, I am a cigar smoker, and I don’t often sip whiskey without a cigar close at hand. I’m not implying that this choice is good or bad, but I can tell you with authority that no one whiskey will suit every single cigar. The very idea of a “cigar blend” implies that all cigars all created equal and that one whiskey should pair well with any cigar, which is absurd. The concept is a good one, but in practice, the creation of cigar blends tends to be less about creating a whiskey for cigar smokers and more to fill out an already bloated brand portfolio (at least since they were first created by Patterson and Fraley). I realize this is harsh criticism, but what can I say? I am supposed to be the target audience for cigar-themed whiskeys, and so far? I’m not terribly impressed.
As a last thought, I can’t help but think of all the times I’ve heard people explain about rectifiers supposedly putting tobacco spit into their whiskey- To be clear, I have yet to see ONE example of this ever having been done by any professional whiskey manufacturer! (or any other whiskey maker for that matter!) The idea that whiskey should be infused into tobacco seems as foreign to me as putting tobacco into your whiskey. To be clear, tobacco is not added to whiskey, but whiskey is often infused into cigars. I understand the desire to collaborate, but I do not understand why collaborations between whiskey and tobacco companies always involve literally adding one to the other. It would be nice to see each side of the collaboration exchange expertise instead of barrels. Whiskey makers could use the input of cigar makers (and vice versa) to craft products that would improve the experience of a pairing without the gimmick of infusions. The category of cigar blends certainly has potential, but until more people decide to take the category seriously, I will continue to seek out the finest cigars and the finest whiskeys to enjoy together. In the end, cigar makers and whiskey makers have their own unique sets of expertise, and I prefer to leave them to their own devices.