Cigars & Single Malt Scotch

[RayNAustin]

Who here loves cigars and scotch, and which are your favorites?

Mine happens to be any of the Jose Pepin Garcia made .. like Tatuaja, San Cristobal. Also the Illusione brand is great across the board.

As for whiskey, it's a tough choice to narrow down .. Glenmorangie .. Cragganmore 12 are a couple of favorites, Dalmore 12 and Lagavoulin 16 and Glenfarclas 12 are also extremely good. Of course you cannot leave Highland Park 12 off any good whiskey list.

[Redskin in Canada]

Who here loves cigars and scotch, and which are your favorites?

Mine happens to be any of the Jose Pepin Garcia made .. like Tatuaja, San Cristobal. Also the Illusione brand is great across the board.

As for whiskey, it's a tough choice to narrow down .. Glenmorangie .. Cragganmore 12 are a couple of favorites, Dalmore 12 and Lagavoulin 16 and Glenfarclas 12 are also extremely good. Of course you cannot leave Highland Park 12 off any good whiskey list.

I am a single malt whisky (without the "e" if you know what I mean) collector.

I run whisky tastings for charities, mainly schools, churches and old citizen's homes. Let me describe one of my tasting events:

Somewhere between 10 to 25 bottles are open, each from a different brand but they are grouped by region, Speyside, Islay, lowlands, etc always in order from less to more peat smell and flavour.

A single glass is poured in front of each bottle.

The participants get to smell each glass and appreciate the color.

Then the test starts, all bottles are removed and all participants get a piece of paper with a list of the bottles that they smelled and saw. Five rounds of blind servings are circulated and the people must identify by taste, smell and colour which and in what order which whisky is which from among the 10 to 25 that thy saw originally.

The highest score wins a bottle of their choosing from among those being served. Fees are not cheap but it is always for a good cause and never for profit.

A friend of mine prepares a wonderful haggis too ...

And as far as my favourites go, Lagavullin 16 is unique, Talisker 18 is grand but Highland Park 25 cannot be touched. I am not doing justice to others but such is life.

I do not smoke. I have never smoked. Cancer in my family took care of that. Never abuse alcohol either.

[langleyparkjoe]

Who here loves cigars and scotch, and which are your favorites?

Mine happens to be any of the Jose Pepin Garcia made .. like Tatuaja, San Cristobal. Also the Illusione brand is great across the board.

As for whiskey, it's a tough choice to narrow down .. Glenmorangie .. Cragganmore 12 are a couple of favorites, Dalmore 12 and Lagavoulin 16 and Glenfarclas 12 are also extremely good. Of course you cannot leave Highland Park 12 off any good whiskey list.

don't know much about cigars.. actually nothing at all

Scotch.. well I love Dewars.. oh and also Johnnie Walker (blk/bl/gr) but that's a scotch whiskey i think..?

[KazooSkinsFan]

Who here loves cigars and scotch, and which are your favorites?

Mine happens to be any of the Jose Pepin Garcia made .. like Tatuaja, San Cristobal. Also the Illusione brand is great across the board.

As for whiskey, it's a tough choice to narrow down .. Glenmorangie .. Cragganmore 12 are a couple of favorites, Dalmore 12 and Lagavoulin 16 and Glenfarclas 12 are also extremely good. Of course you cannot leave Highland Park 12 off any good whiskey list.

Lagavoulin 16 for sure, I love the smokey taste. And yes, I do enjoy cigars. I don't have a favorite brand, but some I buy are H. Upman, Hoya de Monterrey, Davidson. I like Romeo y. Joliet when I'm outside the country and they are actually Cuban.

[RayNAustin]

Who here loves cigars and scotch, and which are your favorites?

Mine happens to be any of the Jose Pepin Garcia made .. like Tatuaja, San Cristobal. Also the Illusione brand is great across the board.

As for whiskey, it's a tough choice to narrow down .. Glenmorangie .. Cragganmore 12 are a couple of favorites, Dalmore 12 and Lagavoulin 16 and Glenfarclas 12 are also extremely good. Of course you cannot leave Highland Park 12 off any good whiskey list.

I am a single malt whisky (without the "e" if you know what I mean) collector.

I run whisky tastings for charities, mainly schools, churches and old citizen's homes. Let me describe one of my tasting events:

Somewhere between 10 to 25 bottles are open, each from a different brand but they are grouped by region, Speyside, Islay, lowlands, etc always in order from less to more peat smell and flavour.

A single glass is poured in front of each bottle.

The participants get to smell each glass and appreciate the color.

Then the test starts, all bottles are removed and all participants get a piece of paper with a list of the bottles that they smelled and saw. Five rounds of blind servings are circulated and the people must identify by taste, smell and colour which and in what order which whisky is which from among the 10 to 25 that thy saw originally.

The highest score wins a bottle of their choosing from among those being served. Fees are not cheap but it is always for a good cause and never for profit.

A friend of mine prepares a wonderful haggis too ...

And as far as my favourites go, Lagavullin 16 is unique, Talisker 18 is grand but Highland Park 25 cannot be touched. I am not doing justice to others but such is life.

I do not smoke. I have never smoked. Cancer in my family took care of that. Never abuse alcohol either.

That's very cool ... sounds like a great time. Highland Park 25 ?? Woe Nellie, I bet that can set you back a few. I have about 10 bottles on the shelf ... and I really can't say which is my ultra favorite at this point because there are so many different nuances to each region. Though I am less inclined to go with the heavier Islay styles ... don't really care for the heavy dose of iodine like Caol Ila or Laphroaig, but the lighter Islays like Bunnahabain 12 is really good stuff.

We just attended a tasting with the master distiller of The Dalmore that was quite a good time. Dalmore 12, Grand Reserva, 15, and King Alexander III ... the KA III was UNBELIEVABLE .. perhaps the best thing I have ever tasted, though at $190 it's not likely to be found on my shelf anytime soon.

I know this is hard for non smokers to understand ... but I really feel bad for those who have not experienced the pleasure of a great cigar. The combo of a great Scotch and cigar comes in second only to a beautiful woman's bare behind

[RayNAustin]

Who here loves cigars and scotch, and which are your favorites?

Mine happens to be any of the Jose Pepin Garcia made .. like Tatuaja, San Cristobal. Also the Illusione brand is great across the board.

As for whiskey, it's a tough choice to narrow down .. Glenmorangie .. Cragganmore 12 are a couple of favorites, Dalmore 12 and Lagavoulin 16 and Glenfarclas 12 are also extremely good. Of course you cannot leave Highland Park 12 off any good whiskey list.

Lagavoulin 16 for sure, I love the smokey taste. And yes, I do enjoy cigars. I don't have a favorite brand, but some I buy are H. Upman, Hoya de Monterrey, Davidson. I like Romeo y. Joliet when I'm outside the country and they are actually Cuban.

Yes that Lagavoulin 16 is some wonderful stuff.

If you haven't tried any, you must smoke some of the Illusione cigars ... some of the best to be found ... and stands up to the cubans IMHO. And Pete Johnson's Tatuaje cigars that are made by Jose Pepin Garcia .. he's one of the super star blenders in the business ... I think he was the head guy at Cohiba for a good while before leaving Cuba to make his own. And he makes killer sticks for Ashton, Tatuaje, and several others plus his own labels too. Every one I've had has been terrific.

We have a smoke shop just down the road "Habana House" where we buy a lot of cigars (the old lady loves cigars too .. so it's double expensive) and sometimes hang out with the guys ... maybe spill a little scotch in a glass and fix all the world's problems.

Cigars and Scotch are the only things that keep me sane ...

OK .. I'll beat you to it .... they're not working ...

[RayNAustin]

Who here loves cigars and scotch, and which are your favorites?

Mine happens to be any of the Jose Pepin Garcia made .. like Tatuaja, San Cristobal. Also the Illusione brand is great across the board.

As for whiskey, it's a tough choice to narrow down .. Glenmorangie .. Cragganmore 12 are a couple of favorites, Dalmore 12 and Lagavoulin 16 and Glenfarclas 12 are also extremely good. Of course you cannot leave Highland Park 12 off any good whiskey list.

don't know much about cigars.. actually nothing at all

Scotch.. well I love Dewars.. oh and also Johnnie Walker (blk/bl/gr) but that's a scotch whiskey i think..?

Joe .. ya gotta try some of the single malts .. I swear it's an entirely different world .. but the JW Blue is nectar for the Gods, but you also have to have as much money as god to afford it.

Try some Highland Park 12 ... probably the best value in the single malt world ... here in Texas it's like $35 ... but up there I'm sure it's less ... all booze cost a lot more down here. Last time I was in town a couple years ago, I was shocked at the difference in prices.

[RayNAustin]

I am a single malt whisky (without the "e" if you know what I mean) collector.

I forgot to mention ... I did not realize there are two different spellings ... and you are correct ... the proper one is Whisky.

Learn something new every day.

[Irn-Bru]

I am a single malt whisky (without the "e" if you know what I mean) collector.

I forgot to mention ... I did not realize there are two different spellings ... and you are correct ... the proper one is Whisky.

Learn something new every day.

I think the "proper" spelling is with the 'e', unless ye hail from auld Reekie.

[Irn-Bru]

I've wanted for some time to learn and appreciate whiskey, so I'm taking notes while reading this thread.

As for cigars . . . I've had great ones and a few expensive ones. The go-to cigars I enjoyed when hanging around with friends were the Gloria de Cubana Serie R, various Padrons (I had a '64 anniversario once, probably the best cigar I've had), and some of the Fuente smokes. One of my friends swore by Ashton but I never smoked one I really enjoyed.

But I haven't had a cigar in a couple of years and don't expect to have any for many more.

[RayNAustin]

I've wanted for some time to learn and appreciate whiskey, so I'm taking notes while reading this thread.

As for cigars . . . I've had great ones and a few expensive ones. The go-to cigars I enjoyed when hanging around with friends were the Gloria de Cubana Serie R, various Padrons (I had a '64 anniversario once, probably the best cigar I've had), and some of the Fuente smokes. One of my friends swore by Ashton but I never smoked one I really enjoyed.

But I haven't had a cigar in a couple of years and don't expect to have any for many more.

It's an expensive hobby ... whisky (and when referring to Scotch, it actually is spelled without the e on every bottle I have), but it's a very nice expense.

My advice would be to find a whisky bar that has flights .. you can sample several different ones to find what you like.

There is also the whisky exchange that has reviews of all of the various producers http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/Producers.aspx

I prefer the ones that are more malty and sweet (Speyside, Highland) as opposed to the more medicinal (Islay). But then there are some Islays that I really like also such as Lagavoulin and Bunnahabhain.

Here's my list in no particular order:

Highland Park 12 & 18 (Island) ... the 12 is the best bang for the buck.
Glenmorangie Nectar D'or, Lasanta, 18, (Highland) all excellent stuff.
Glenfarclas 12 (Speyside) this is one of my favorites for sure
Dalmore 12, King Alexander III (Highland) KA III is beyond great $$$
Aberlour A'Bunadh (Speyside) cask strength 121 proof must add h2o
Bunnahabhain 12 (Islay) Just a touch of the sea .. lightest of the Islays
Lagavoulin 16 (Islay) One guy said he likes Ferraris and Italian models more than this whisky, but that's the only two things better
Cragganmore 12 (Speyside) very very good
Oban 14 (Highland) another excellent one
Old Pultney 12 (speyside) another great bang for the buck

Cigars: those Serie R are very good, as is the Padron 64. You must try the Padron 26. But I've discovered even better ones that are less expensive than the Padrons ... Illusione - 88, Cg4, MK are killer sticks. The Tatuaje Havana VI line, the Brown labels, La Requiza, Cabaigwan are also killers made by Jose Pepin Garcia.
San Cristobal, Ashton Puro Sol, both by Jose Pepin Garcia, and also all of his own labels too ... My Father, Black Label.

One of these days I'll have to take a pic of my CAO Sopranos humidor. Its built like the trunk of a cadillac ... very cool. I also have a humidor signed by Jose Pepin Garcia, and two others. We've got a rather substantial cigar collection.

Oh I missed the point about not smoking any more cigars. Just gave it up?

[Irn-Bru]

Oh I missed the point about not smoking any more cigars. Just gave it up?

There wasn't much to give up. At my height I probably averaged about one a month or less, with most of my smoking occurring on summer evenings.

I'm not adverse to smoking. I enjoy reading or doing work on the back porch with a pipe (I have a few). When I'm in certain situations I'll smoke cigarettes, too. I enjoy those but don't want to make it a personal habit, so I restrict it mostly to certain friends I spend time with, or at bars (well, I used to, until that became illegal ). I think I buy / smoke about 4-5 packs of cigarettes over the course of a year — I like smoke them while driving, especially at night.

But as for cigars . . . yeah, just got out of the habit. Then after I hadn't smoked one in a long time, I'd have a cigar and feel sick for two hours after smoking it. I've developed a mild physical reaction to them as a result, so I'm never really in the mood to pick one up.

Which is also fine by me anyway because, even though there are very good smokes for very good prices, it can still be a costly hobby.

[RayNAustin]

Oh I missed the point about not smoking any more cigars. Just gave it up?

There wasn't much to give up. At my height I probably averaged about one a month or less, with most of my smoking occurring on summer evenings.

I'm not adverse to smoking. I enjoy reading or doing work on the back porch with a pipe (I have a few). When I'm in certain situations I'll smoke cigarettes, too. I enjoy those but don't want to make it a personal habit, so I restrict it mostly to certain friends I spend time with, or at bars (well, I used to, until that became illegal ). I think I buy / smoke about 4-5 packs of cigarettes over the course of a year — I like smoke them while driving, especially at night.

But as for cigars . . . yeah, just got out of the habit. Then after I hadn't smoked one in a long time, I'd have a cigar and feel sick for two hours after smoking it. I've developed a mild physical reaction to them as a result, so I'm never really in the mood to pick one up.

Which is also fine by me anyway because, even though there are very good smokes for very good prices, it can still be a costly hobby.

That's really unique ... you must have some sort of genetic disposition to not become addicted to nicotine ... 4 or 5 packs of cigs a year? Wish I could do that.

But the reaction to cigars isn't all that uncommon, as I've heard many people say ... "you don't want to smoke this cigar on an empty stomach", though that's never been an issue for me. But if cigars don't sit well with you, it's probably best to leave them alone in your case, or, take a closer look at what cigars you are actually smoking, because they do vary in strength and effect. Since you are a part-time smoker, you might be better off with a milder.

Now here's a tip .. maybe no one needs to be told this, but, years ago I used to smoke cigars occasionally ... not regularly ... but once in a while at home, and always on the golf course. But I never actually knew HOW to smoke a cigar ... I just lit the bad boy and puffed away. Then I gave it up for years (because of the huge price hikes in cigars through the 1990's). And it's only been in the past few years that I picked them back up, and was "taught" how to smoke cigars properly. And WHAT A DIFFERENCE ! I never actually tasted a cigar before.

So here's the proper way, just in case someone else out there is missing out ... take a good whiff of the aroma of the unlit cigar .. then you cut the cigar, and test the draw ... then holding the ciagr with one hand, toast the end of it with a torch lighter until it's completely lit .. blowing on the end of it as you are lighting a time or two to make sure the entire surface glows red, and then take puff get it going. Once lit, take a puff and allow some of the smoke to circulate through your sinus passages (don't inhale it or you'll choke to death) while tasting that smoke in your mouth like you were drinking a milkshake. (some cigars are heavily front loaded with some spice or pepper, so you might want to wait until the cigar is at the 1/3 mark if it burns your sinuses) Only then will you have actually "tasted" a cigar. I was amazed by the layers of flavor in some good cigars ... coffee, chocolate, dark cherry, vanilla, roasted nuts ... leather ... it's an entirely new world. Now maybe I'm the only one that didn't know this .. but it's highly likely that a large number of occasional smokers have never smoked a cigar properly.

This is very similar to the method employed in tasting a good whisky or whiskey.

[Irn-Bru]

That's really unique ... you must have some sort of genetic disposition to not become addicted to nicotine ... 4 or 5 packs of cigs a year? Wish I could do that.

It could be genetic. I get the occasional moment where I think "a cigarette would be great right now" — after that wonderfully greasy or satisfying meal, or driving on a nice day, etc — but for the most part, after I finish a pack I'll go two months without thinking about it again.

About 1/3 to 1/2 of all the cigarettes I smoke are when I'm hanging out with one friend in particular, who smokes like a chimney. We see each other about 2-3 weekends per year and must take smoke breaks about every 30 minutes. Then again, I have another 5-6 friends with whom I'll smoke cigarettes, and they are about as occasional as I am . . . maybe it's not that uncommon(?).

But the reaction to cigars isn't all that uncommon, as I've heard many people say ... "you don't want to smoke this cigar on an empty stomach", though that's never been an issue for me. But if cigars don't sit well with you, it's probably best to leave them alone in your case, or, take a closer look at what cigars you are actually smoking, because they do vary in strength and effect. Since you are a part-time smoker, you might be better off with a milder.

That's exactly what I tried for a while. The Serie R in particular made me feel as sick as I ever have after a cigar. I didn't want to touch another one after that experience. I've done some milder ones in the meantime, and even stopped smoking them about 3/4ths of the way down to avoid the hotter, final draws which tend to intensify the negative vibe I get. That helped, as did always making sure to have a drink whenever I smoked (beer, coffee, coke, sometimes gin and tonic — I'm ashamed to say I've never tried whiskey with it).

So here's the proper way, just in case someone else out there is missing out ... take a good whiff of the aroma of the unlit cigar .. then you cut the cigar, and test the draw ... then holding the ciagr with one hand, toast the end of it with a torch lighter until it's completely lit .. blowing on the end of it as you are lighting a time or two to make sure the entire surface glows red, and then take puff get it going. Once lit, take a puff and allow some of the smoke to circulate through your sinus passages (don't inhale it or you'll choke to death) while tasting that smoke in your mouth like you were drinking a milkshake.

This is very similar to the method employed in tasting a good whisky or whiskey.

I do something similar with pipe smoke, which has flavors I really enjoy, although not nearly as thick or complex as a cigar.