Guide
Cigar and whisky pairing: a practical guide
6 min read
A good pairing makes both the cigar and the glass taste better; a bad one flattens one of them. You do not need to memorise lists. Three principles and a little experimenting will get you most of the way.
Three principles
- Match intensity. A mild cigar disappears next to a heavily peated whisky, and a full-bodied cigar overwhelms a light, floral one. Pair delicate with delicate and big with big.
- Complement. Echo a flavor the two share: the vanilla and caramel of a bourbon with a sweet, creamy cigar; the dried fruit of a sherry cask with a dark maduro.
- Contrast. Or balance them: the sweetness of a bourbon against the pepper of a Habano or Corojo wrapper.
Starting points by cigar style
| Cigar | Try with | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Mild Connecticut Shade | Unpeated Speyside Scotch, Irish whiskey, light Japanese whisky | Fruit, honey and cream without overpowering a delicate cigar |
| Medium Dominican or Cameroon | Highland Scotch, wheated bourbon | Gentle sweetness and oak match cedar, nut and sweet spice |
| Habano or Corojo | Bourbon | Caramel and vanilla balance the pepper and spice |
| Maduro (Broadleaf, San Andrés) | Sherry-cask Scotch, aged rum | Dried fruit and molasses meet cocoa, coffee and sweetness |
| Full-bodied Nicaraguan | Rye, high-rye or cask-strength bourbon | Enough weight and spice to stand up to ligero-heavy blends |
| Rich, full maduro | Peated Islay Scotch | Smoke meets earth and chocolate; too much for milder cigars |
Mild Connecticut Shade
- Try with
- Unpeated Speyside Scotch, Irish whiskey, light Japanese whisky
- Why it works
- Fruit, honey and cream without overpowering a delicate cigar
Medium Dominican or Cameroon
- Try with
- Highland Scotch, wheated bourbon
- Why it works
- Gentle sweetness and oak match cedar, nut and sweet spice
Habano or Corojo
- Try with
- Bourbon
- Why it works
- Caramel and vanilla balance the pepper and spice
Maduro (Broadleaf, San Andrés)
- Try with
- Sherry-cask Scotch, aged rum
- Why it works
- Dried fruit and molasses meet cocoa, coffee and sweetness
Full-bodied Nicaraguan
- Try with
- Rye, high-rye or cask-strength bourbon
- Why it works
- Enough weight and spice to stand up to ligero-heavy blends
Rich, full maduro
- Try with
- Peated Islay Scotch
- Why it works
- Smoke meets earth and chocolate; too much for milder cigars
How to taste them together
- Taste the whisky on its own first, then light the cigar and smoke a few draws before the next sip.
- Add a few drops of water to a strong whisky. High alcohol numbs the palate and hides the cigar.
- Sip slowly and keep water nearby. A pairing is judged over the second third, not the first minute.
- If the pairing fights, switch to water or coffee for a while; it is not a failure, it is information.
Not drinking whisky?
The same principles work for rum, cognac, port, coffee, beer and non-alcoholic drinks. Coffee with a maduro and a sweet rum with a Habano are classics for a reason.
Let the app suggest
aficio suggests three drinks for the cigar you are about to light: whiskey, rum, wine, beer, coffee or non-alcoholic. Note what you drank when you rate the smoke and you will see which pairings you enjoy. For the flavor vocabulary, see the 12 flavor families.
Questions
- What whisky goes best with a cigar?
- There is no single best one. Bourbon is the most forgiving match for medium cigars, sherry-cask Scotch suits maduros, and unpeated Speyside or Irish whiskey suits mild cigars.
- Does peated whisky go with cigars?
- With full, rich maduros it can be excellent. With mild Connecticut cigars the smoke and iodine of an Islay whisky usually overwhelm the cigar.
- Should you add water to whisky with a cigar?
- With cask-strength or high-proof whisky, yes: a few drops lower the alcohol burn so you can taste both the whisky and the cigar.