Whisky Selection:
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
Johnnie Walker Green Label
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
Cigar:
Trinidad Vigia
There will be several tasting notes to track the changes to all the whiskies & the cigar as the tasting progresses.
Whisky Tasting Notes Prior to Trinidad Vigia Pairing:
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye 45% abv.:
Nose: Cotton Candy. Apple. Mint. Candied Apple. Sultana
Palate: Cinnamon Hearts. Toast. Tangerine. Coffee.
Mouthfeel: Oily. Med+ heat on lips. Medium tannin at the gums.
Johnnie Walker Green Label 43% abv:
Nose: Cereal – Malt. Pomegranate. Oak. Banana. Tobacco
Palate: Feinty (aroma lift) Peat. Toffee. Red Currant. Burnt Toffee
Mouthfeel: Heat on the gums. Otherwise, very clean.
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon 51.6% abv:
Nose: Red Berry Fruit. Cinnamon. Pineapple. Toffee. Vanilla. Fresh Corn
Palate: Band-Aid retro. Ginger. Praline Skor Bar/light chocolate. Nougat.
Mouthfeel: Clean. Med+ Tannin. Numbing sensation on gums.
Cigar Tasting Notes – Raw Draw, Ignition & 1st Puffs.
Trinidad Vigia Cigar
Nose at raw draw: Heavy earth aroma.
Wrapper raw: Barnyard. Chocolate.
Filler aroma at Foot: Cinnamon. Manure. Dry Grass.
Size:
4/38 x 56
Holy Doodle! Talk about a loose pack on this cigar.
I barely clipped the pigtail off and I’m getting huge mouthfuls of smoke.
It’s a little bitter to start. The smoke is sticking to the hard palate.
The Trinidad Vigia is all earth. Lots of tannin. Aromas of moss & mushroom.
Heavy tobacco taste at the back of the throat.
1st third: A hint of peppermint is quickly overcome by roasted meat. Oily impression on the mouthfeel. Roast Lamb smoke flavor.
First 3rd of Trinidad Vigia Cigar
Whisky Tasting Progression
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
Sip of whisky. The nose has maple fudge and butterscotch now.
Paired with Trinidad Vigia – they’re a little at odds. They aren’t bad – but they aren’t enhancing each other either.
A puff of the Trinidad Vigia and I get popcorn.
Johnnie Walker Green Label
Nose has become sweeter. Mincemeat.
Sip of Green label: Have you ever had Puffed Wheat Cake? It isn’t a universally recognized tasting note – but that’s what I’m getting.
Corn Syrup with a bit of dry cocoa & butter melted over wheat cereal.
Paired with Trinidad Vigia Cigar:
Harmony with the whisky. Vanilla on the mouth / fresh linen aroma. The cigar palate lightens with the JW Green influence.
The aroma is now hints of dried flowers.
Four Roses Small Batch LE:
Nose: Hint of citrus. Lemon & Orange. Werther’s hard candy.
Palate: The drying effect of the alcohol is even more pronounced now. Sweet, heavy corn. Cream. Red Berry fruit.
Trinidad Vigia Cigar: Mincemeat taste. Coffee. Savory spice – like thyme.
It’s evolved to a mild+ cigar. No more hard-palate coating.
The burn is uneven and the ash fell at the 1st third.
Hint of iodine aroma.
Second 3rd of Trinidad Vigia.
Whisky Tasting Notes have evolved with the Cigar.
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
Nose: Carmel Corn. Sweet Corn.
Palate: The smoke kills any flavors in the mouth, but there is a bit of caramel lift on the back palate.
Paired with Trinidad Vigia Cigar:
Toasted Marshmallow aroma. Nutty. Brazil nut taste.
Johnnie Walker Green Label
Nose: Buttersctoch. Oats. Brown Sugar.
Palate: Coffee. Meaty.
Paired with Trinidad Vigia Cigar:
The Scotch wins this round, overpowering the reduced strength of the cigar on the palate.
Peat rises from the Johnnie Green.
Tar from the ‘gar.
Uneven burn continues. Trinidad Vigia Cigar is back to being med+ body.
Trinidad Vigia Cigar: Burnt popcorn. Black pepper.
Four Roses LE Small Batch Bourbon
Nose: White Flowers – which kind of surprised me. Brown Sugar.
Palate: Ginger. Orange Peel.
Paired with Trinidad Vigia Cigar:
½ way point. It’s getting a little hot.
Not a lot of flavour coming through – mostly just smoke.
Trinidad Vigia: Completely smoky cigar on the palate. Not unpleasant, but no complexity. I keep looking for flavors, but none to be found other than smoke.
Really, nothing but burnt popcorn.
Final 3rd of Trinidad Vigia.
Whisky Tasting Notes have evolved with the Cigar.
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye Canadian Whisky:
Nose: Mandarin Orange. Tangerine
Palate: Red Currant and bitter almond
Paired with Trinidad Vigia Cigar:
The whisky tames the smoke, but doesn’t coax any flavours from the cigar.
Johnnie Walker Green Label
Nose: Smoke. Cereal – Porridge.
Palate: Honey. Oily/Waxy mouthfeel.
Paired with Trinidad Vigia Cigar: light molasses.
The JW Green pairs well with the Trinidad Vigia.
Spicy aroma – cloves.
Popcorn
Four Roses LE Bourbon
Nose: Lemon. Poppy. Caramel
Trinidad Vigia Cigar:
Nose: Dust. Cardboard. Lemon
Palate: Venison. Roasted meat.
The cigar loose pack increases as it hits the final 3rd.
Ash is ragged; really loose.
Stirations are dark grey with grey.
Conclusion:
Best Pair for the Trinidad Vigia: Blended Scotch Whisky:
Johnnie Walker Green Label
Johnnie Walker Green Label keeps its aroma & flavour profile consistently good from beginning to end
Four Roses LE Small Batch Bourbon aroma is diminished. Palate is light Bourbon-esque.
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye is unable to take on a cigar of this style.
Trinidad Vigia Cigar maintains it dominance in terms of smoke, but is without complexity from the half to the finish.
Wrapper lifts & cracks towards the nub. Bitterness ensues.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Trinidad Vigia Cigar – an average cigar. But hey, it’s a Cuban!
It was a fun exercise to write down all the changes/evolutions that took place in the whiskies & the cigar.
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