Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – Stalla Dhu Single Cask Benrinnes 1997

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 Single Cask Benrinnes 1997

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. Often the name of the original distillery is mentioned but not always. For this bottling, Stalla Dhu worked with Benrinnes, a distillery in Aberlour, Speyside. This distillery produces spirits that hardly ever makes it into a single malt as it’s highly demanded by blenders such as JB and Johnny Walker. Benrinnes employed some unusual production techniques. Between 1974 and 2007 the distillery used a unique partial triple distillation process. In this process the feints from the wash still, the weaker parts of feints of the spirit still, and the feints from the low wine still itself are distilled in a low wines still, while the spirit still is fed by the foreshots and the heart of the wash and low wine still, and its own foreshots and strong feints. The necks of the stills are cooled by worm tubs, a technique that is no longer very common.

This spirit was distilled mid-august 1997, wo shole using that partial triple distillation process. It was stored in a barrel with the number Z97/896 and was bottled into 231 bottles 20 years later. I drank bottle 31. The ABV is 47%

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 whisky smash to see what to pair the whisky with.

Glencairn

The Stalla Dhu Benrinnes has a beautiful golden colour. The spirit is not oily but has a beautiful aroma a bit of white pepper covered in sweet dried fruits and a hint of oak. The nose is complex, some floral notes as well. And then the taste, it’s fantastic. Vanilla, strong vanilla with dried apricots, strawberries and other summer fruits. This is almost like a nice sorbet in liquid shape. Perfect daytime drink, elegant and friendly. There is no alcohol bite and the whisky as a smooth and round finish of fruits and a soft creamy mouthfeel. A mild to medium cigar with a Connecticut Shade wrapper, Corojo wrapper of a Cameroon wrapper would be perfect to go with this drink. A thinner Cuban, maybe a Ramon Allones Small Club Corona or a Mille Fleur from either Partagas or Romeo y Julieta would be a nice pairing.

Highball

There is more oak on the nose than in a Glencairn glass. The alcohol/ethanol aroma is not there. There are only plenty of sweet hints. Flavour wise the Stalla Dhu Benrinnes tastes the same as in a Glencairn glass only a little muted compared to that type of glass but just barely. I taste the same strong vanilla with dried apricots, strawberries and other summer fruits with the same creamy mouthfeel, smoothness and round finish. That’s why I suggest the same cigars as before: A mild to medium cigar with a Connecticut Shade wrapper, Corojo wrapper of a Cameroon wrapper would be perfect to go with this drink. A thinner Cuban, maybe a Ramon Allones Small Club Corona or a Mille Fleur from either Partagas or Romeo y Julieta would be a nice pairing.

Old Fashioned

On the nose this classic cocktail gives me orange with sweet dried fruits such as apricots. Those flavours are in the flavour profile too with some oak and sweetness. This cocktail is well balanced and slightly spicy. This is a nice winter cocktail. It is warming and smooth. There is a woody background, but not overly woody. A woody cigar would enhance that flavor. Medium bodied, not too strong, not something peppery. I am thinking boutique here, something with aged tobacco such as the La Preferida from DH Boutique Cigars or a HENK Maori Donna.

and now for the Old-Fashioned recipe:

1 sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters

2 oz or 60 ml of Stalla Dhu Benrinnes 1997
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.

Kentucky Buck

Now this is an interesting cocktail as it involves fresh fruit, a strawberry to be exact. On the nose this cocktail gives you ginger and strawberry with a little spice. The cocktail tastes fresh, sweet and tart with some ginger spiciness. It is refreshing and balanced, complex yet very approachable. There is all around sweetness with lemon and an undertone of strawberry. Usually I say that citrus forward cocktails aren’t a good match with cigars, but the balance in this cocktail makes the lemon no problem at all. I bet any cigar will be good with this cocktail, from a sweet and mild Connecticut to a strong and full-bodied peppery cigar. This cocktail uses the same spirit, yet it so different from the old fashioned. This is a summer cocktail for sure, unlike the winter cocktail.

And now for the Kentucky Buck Recipe
1 chopped and muddled strawberry
1 ounce or 30ml of lemon juice

½ ounce of 15ml of simple syrup

2 ounces of 60ml of Stalla Dhu Benrinnes                     

2 dashes Angostura bitters

2 ounces or 60ml ginger beer

Garnish: strawberry

Add strawberry, lime juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker and softly muddle. Add the whisky, 2 dashes bitters, and ice. Shake and strain into a tall glass filled with ice leaving some room to top off with ginger beer. Garnish with a strawberry before serving.

Inspector X.