Category: Big Smoke

This past Memorial Day Weekend, Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke partnered with WhiskyFest for an event that combined superlative cigars and great whiskies at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. 

The day started with a series of cigar-focused seminars, highlighting speakers like Rocky Patel of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Rafael Nodal of Tabacalera USA (behind the Montecristo cigar brand, among others), Pete Johnson of Tatuaje, and more. A whisky and cigar pairing closed out the morning, as Jorge Padrón of Padrón Cigars was joined by Cigar Aficionado executive editor David Savona for a taste of Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo—Cigar Aficionado’s 2021 Cigar of the Year—and Lagavulin 11 year old Offerman Edition: Guinness Cask Finish, Whisky Advocate’s 2021 Whisky of the Year.

Following an afternoon break, the event resumed in the evening in the hotel’s sprawling ballroom. There, hundreds of whiskies were poured, accompanied by a selection of cigars from some 27 makers. A VIP hour opened the night’s grand tasting event, where whiskies like Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Founders KBS collaboration, Calumet Farm’s 15 year old and 16 year old bourbons, Parker’s Heritage Collection Wheat, and Glendalough Mizunara 7 year old Irish single malt were on offer.

Father-and-son duo Daryl and Jerrell attended Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest for the first time; while both love whisky, Jerrell is also a burgeoning cigar lover. “The Widow Jane Lucky 13 year old bourbon was amazing, and we’re looking forward to trying everything,” said Jerrell. For his part, Daryl was looking forward to tasting the many scotch whiskies on hand, among them Benriach Original Twelve, Tamdhu 15 year old, Talisker Storm, Glen Moray Elgin Classic, and Mortlach 20 year old.

Matt Lenser, who was attending his fourth WhiskyFest, was likewise keen on the scotches, particularly the Mortlach 20 and 16 year olds. Prior to tasting, he had developed a plan for his palate. “I love how many rare or expensive whiskies there are here, and I enjoyed getting to try them, particularly the good, sherried scotch,” he said. “My strategy was to drink whisky first, then smoke later.”

Over at the Tabacalera cigar booth, head of product capability Rafael Nodal was excited to be back on the floor once more, and offered up a pairing suggestion of his own. “This Aging Room Maduro cigar is special, as it has tobacco from all four regions of Nicaragua,” he explained. “I’d pair it with a bourbon; tobacco very well-aged needs a bourbon that’s very complex, with a lot of flavor.” Plenty of aged bourbons were available on the floor, including Blade and Bow 22 year old, Widow Jane Decadence, and Heaven Hill 7 year old bottled in bond. 

While there were plenty of big-name whiskies throughout the ballroom, craft distillers were also well represented at the evening’s festivities. From Ohio, Middle West Spirits poured five whiskeys from its portfolio, including a slew of limited releases; Chicago’s FEW Spirits was also there, as were Virginia Distillery Co., Indiana’s Hard Truth Distilling, and Texas-based Belfour Spirits. The latter is newer to WhiskyFest, and master distiller Dayn Belfour was thrilled at the chance to share his whiskeys with the crowd at the distillery’s first WhiskyFest. “Everyone is very curious about who we are, and who my family is,” he said. “They’re loving how dessert-like, velvety, and easy to drink the whiskey is. These are all brand new whiskeys, and once people try them, they’re drinking them right up.” Belfour was pouring its Pecan Finished bourbon, as well as a Small Batch bourbon and a rye.

WhiskyFest will resume in the fall, when it returns to San Francisco and New York, and also adds Las Vegas as a new venue. Tickets are available here.

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For the first time ever, Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke event teamed up with WhiskyFest at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on October 30. It was a day filled with exquisite cigars, world-class whisky, and great company. A bounty of whiskies were poured at the event, alongside collectible cigars from some of the world’s top cigarmakers.

The day kicked off at 9 a.m. with a slew of sold-out cigar seminars that featured industry luminaries like Jorge Padrón, Rocky Patel, and Carlos Fuente Jr. Superb cigars were presented by all three cigarmakers—as were rich stories, given that each man has decades of experience in the industry. The morning concluded with the first taste of what was to come that evening: A shared whisky and cigar experience in a seminar that featured Heaven Hill master distiller Conor O’Driscoll. His talk highlighted the unique qualities of Whisky Advocate’s 2020 Whisky of the Year, Larceny Barrel Proof (Batch B520), and the No.-7 whisky of 2020, Elijah Craig Straight Rye when paired alongside Cigar Aficionado’s 2020 Cigar of the Year, the E.P. Carrillo Pledge Prequel.

That night, the true scope of the event was could be experienced, with hundreds of attendees buzzing around a ballroom filled with whiskies from around the world, including such sought after pours as George Dickel 15 year old single barrel, Aberfeldy 21 year old, Paul John Mithuna, Kentucky Peerless Double Oak bourbon, Dewar’s Double Double 21 year old, Glendronach 21 year old, and Jack Daniel’s 10 year old Tennessee whiskey, among many others. On the outdoor terrace, more whisky and other spirits were being poured, accompanied by live music and plenty of cigars.

Given that 24 different cigarmakers were present at Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest, the opportunities for whisky-and-cigar pairing were near endless, and attendees took note. “I love this combination—it’s an excellent event, and the fact that I can try different cigars and whisky is incredible,” said Marc Lewis, who had previously attended both Big Smoke and WhiskyFest events. His favorite pairing of the night was Four Roses Select bourbon with a Padrón cigar. Elsewhere, Dan Timmerman—a first-time WhiskyFest or Big Smoke attendee—also enjoyed a Padrón cigar, this one smoked alongside Elijah Craig Straight Rye. “Before tonight I wasn’t really a rye drinker, but the Elijah Craig had a terrific flavor alongside the Padrón, with spice enhanced in each,” he said.

The attendees weren’t the only ones on a discovery tour; cigarmakers and distillers, too, were finding new ways to enjoy their products throughout the night. “I’m not much of a bourbon guy normally, but I’ve been trying different bourbons tonight, like the Heaven Hill 7 year old bottle in bond bourbon, with our cigars,” said Jose Ortega, vice president of sales at My Father Cigars. “That’s the most positive part of this experience, venturing into those new pairings.” Over at George Dickel, brand ambassador Brian Downing was keen to see the ways in which cigars could enhance the whisky experience. “With something like the 15 year old Single Barrel, I’m interested to see how that shakes up to a cigar, not being much of a cigar smoker on a day-to-day basis myself,” he said. “If we can turn some cigar lovers onto the whiskey by being well paired, that’s great.”

As with the morning, there were seminars throughout the evening, these focused exclusively on whisky. The first was led by Dewar’s North American ambassador Gabriel Cardarella, who gave attendees the chance to blend their own scotch by using five different single malts, as well as taste Dewar’s 8 year old Mizunara Cask Finish and Double Double 21 year old. Heaven Hill’s Conor O’Driscoll and Bernie Lubbers rounded out the evening of seminars with a discussion on the renaissance of rye whiskey in the U.S., and a tasting of various ryes in the Heaven Hill lineup.

WhiskyFest returns this Friday, November 5, in Chicago, where some tickets are still available; the event will travel to New York City on November 11, ahead of a final stop in San Francisco on December 3.

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