OK, I’ll admit it – the last few pairings we featured were adventurous, even by my standards. So for this edition of Happy Hour, we’re getting back to the basics with a single malt…and going to class it up, while we’re at it. A box-pressed Maduro sensation, CAO Flathead is practically a household name; and paired with one of the best Islay Scotch expressions in the world, we’ve got a feeling you’re going to like this one. Consider this pairing to add some warmth to those blustery fall nights, and take your palate down a path lined with exquisite flavors…
With hot rods, pin-up girls and old school panache for inspiration, CAO Flathead has captured the heart and palates of cigar smokers as a beefy-sweet cigar with near-universal admiration. Aside from the flair, this puts up a big front with huge rips of cocoa sweetness, coffee, earth and cedar. Medium-full bodied and exceedingly rich and smooth, this premium cigar is sure to rev your engine up.
Blend
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Binder: Ecuadorian Habano Connecticut Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero & Piloto Cubano Ligero
Body: Full Customer Rating: 94
Spirit: Lagavulin The Distillers Edition
Since 1816, Lagavulin has been known as the Islay Scotch that likes to take its time. While the 16 year is a fan favorite, this Distiller Edition uses peated malts, a slow distillation process and a double aging process in Pedro Ximenez wine casks. Pedro Ximenez is an Australian wine that brings a sweet and fruity backbone to this smoky, peaty Lagavulin. When paired with Flathead you’re in for a treat, but Lagavulin goes a step further recommending an aged cheese such as Gorgonzola or fresh oysters.
Proof: 86 (ABV: 43%)
Rating: 4.5/5 (distiller.com)
That’s it for this week’s edition of Happy Hour; comment below when you give this pairing a try. Until next time…Skol!
Copywriter
Fred Lunt was discovered to be the youngest cigar smoker in his family shortly after setting his crib ablaze; today, he's added an avid whiskey and craft beer appetite to his lineup. Fred has worked in marketing, blogging and communications at boutique PR agencies across New York and has personally had the pleasure of witnessing over four breakdancing shows in a single commute on the NYC subway. Prior to his work in marketing Fred was a student of communications at Temple University and still holds illusions that Temple has a better football program than Penn State.
Show all Fred Lunt's Articles
Reading Time: 2 minutes Aimed at being “a culmination of Trinidad Espiritu’s epic journey through years of diverse cigar cultures,” The Trinidad Espiritu No.3 now gives a nod to Mexico by using a specially-aged Mexican San Andrés wrapper. Get the full story here.
Reading Time: 6 minutes Have you been choosing your cigars the wrong way all along? Senior Famous Smoke Shop Purchaser, Humberto Gonzalez thinks so. See his method of using food to determine what you should be smoking…and why we think it’s a better way to start smoking.
Reading Time: 2 minutes If you liked the Alec Bradley Project 40 cigars from their Experimental Series, say hello to the Double Broadleaf–Experimental Series. Calling it, “a flavorful cigar that delivers the extra horsepower our brand advocates have been asking for,” learn more about it here.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Diesel Cigars has introduced a new “interactive” cigar series: Fool’s Errand Trilogy. The first of the three annually released cigars is ‘Stubborn Fool,’ a 5”x58 perfecto blended by AJ Fernandez and Diesel senior brand manager, Justin Andrews. Learn more about this intriguing, limited edition series here.
[…] this complex stick changes and the flavors intermingle. The only thing that could make it better is a glass of single malt. Did I mention that I love this cigar? […]