CA Happy Hour: Laphroaig Quarter Cask + Partagas Black Label Cigar Pairing
CA Happy Hour: Laphroaig Quarter Cask + Partagas Black Label Cigar Pairing
By Fred Lunt
We are deep in the summer months…and while it’s not an official calendar thing, you are on notice – it’s high Wedding Season. The season actually runs from May to October, but right now is when we’re in the thick of things: the brides and her bridesmaids are poring over eleventh-hour changes to the seating chart, whilst the groom and his pals are triple-checking the liquor and cigar selections.
What makes today’s pairing extra-interesting, are the unique maturation processes used by both the drink and the cigar – the whisky is treated to the quarter-cask method, and the Partagas uses a special Medio Tiempo (“half time”) curing on the wrapper.
So whether you’re a guest at your third-cousin’s Lebron-esque Estate wedding or putting the final touches on your own blessed event – try this special whisky and cigar pairing to celebrate the day.
The Cigar: Partagas Black Label Magnifico
The Partagas Black has been a staple of full-bodied flavor in the company’s portfolio for decades. With a rich, full body and exotic tobaccos, this cigar embodies heavy notes of earth, pepper, dark coffee, leather and wood, before progressing into some charred wood and meatiness that’s even more irresistible with a dram of Laphroaig at your side.
Blend
Wrapper: Connecticut “Medio Tiempo” Binder: Dominican La Vega Especial Filler: Nicaragua/D.R. Piloto Cubano
Body: Full Customer Rating: 86
Paired With…
Spirit: Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Among the finest of the Islays, Laphroaig Quarter Cask is a win for cigar pairing spirits. This particular Laphroaig expression features a double maturation process: the first is the traditional aging in former bourbon barrels, made of American oak; before it’s done, the not-quite-matured whisky is moved to smaller quarter casks (also made of American oak) and left to finish resting. This quarter-cask process is an old school whisky tradition, where more contact between the whisky and the wood of the barrel puts “a soft and velvety edge” on the Laphroaig’s peatiness.
Nose the glass for sensations of toffee and caramel, “caused by the vanillas and tannins of the American oak, plus a dryness from the wood oil.”
Proof: 96 (48% ABV)
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Drizly)
Here comes the bride…so we gotta get ready for the open bar at the reception. Try this Laphroaig and Partagas Black cigar pairing and let us know what you think – stay tuned for next time, and stay thirsty!