Once the hurricane finally blew through this evening it was time to enjoy the cool evening it left behind. I rummaged around in my humidor and pulled out a Davidoff Millennium Pyramides. This is hailed as one of the best cigars Davidoff makes, and everything they make is already pretty spectacular. I knew I would need to pair it with a few things that are not in my usual repertoire, so I decided to look at three different kinds of American whiskeys.

The Cigar

This Davidoff Millennium is a 6 1-8 x 52 made in the Dominican Republic with an Ecuadorian sun grown wrapper. The burn is beautiful on this one – I always seem to manage to light my cigars unevenly, but this one evened right out on its own and burned perfectly for the duration. The smoke was rich and full-bodied with distinct notes of chocolate and earthiness with a hint of spice. Retail for this cigar is around $25.

The Whiskeys

Ironroot Republic Hubris Corn Whiskey – I had to try this whiskey with a cigar. I’m a big fan of the flavor profile, which comes from multiple varietals of corn, including several heirloom varieties. Alone the nose has hints of sweet fruits along with the strong corn aroma, while the palate consists of sweet, spicy corn notes. The smoke brought out a warm spiciness in the whiskey, while the whiskey brought out a faint grassiness in the smoke.

Four Roses Yellow Label – I’m getting to the end of my supply, and while I know the new package still contains the same delicious bourbon I can’t help but feel a little bittersweet about it. It feels like the end of an era. The nose will always be green apple and honey and the palate will always be green apple and spice. Together with this cigar the smoke brought out floral notes in the bourbon while the bourbon highlighted the rich cocoa notes in the smoke.

J. Carver Hunt Club Double Barrel Rye Whiskey – This is an interesting little gem I picked up on a recent visit to Minneapolis. It’s a fairly young rye whiskey with a secondary barrel finish in apple brandy casks. The nose is strong rye grassiness with a hint of apple, while the palate is a softer grassiness with an apple finish. Together with the cigar, the smoke brought out a sweet spicy apple fruitiness in the whiskey, while the whiskey brought out a pleasant earthiness in the smoke.

The Conclusion

Obviously I was looking for something new and different with these pairings. It always seems that Four Roses Yellow Label is the winner, and while it was a very pleasant pairing tonight the clear winner was the J. Carver Hunt Club Rye. I knew that even without much age on it the apple brandy cask finish would make it an excellent contender, and it definitely stood its ground against such a full bodied and robust cigar. I’m looking forward to trying this whiskey in future pairings to see what I can come up with.

Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl