Smokehead Paired with Chuao's Miel bonbon and Don Pepin Garcia Series JJ Maduro Cigar

Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd. is really bucking the establishment with its Smokehead expression.  The company declines to divulge the distillery, while bloggers wager whether the origin of its stock is Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Port Charlotte or their recently acquired Glengoyne.  Some have even suggested it might be a heavily peated Bunnahabhain.  In addition to the mystery of its origin, there is no age statement on the Smokehead bottle and little information about cask maturation or finish can be had from any official press release.  Its packaging and branding are modern and edgy.  Their Facebook page has gone grunge and company Ambassadors have been seen serving Smokehead and Coca-Cola cocktails to rock stars. Does this herald the end of whisky marketing tradition as we know it?

While I for one crave the intellectual stimulation of knowing something about what makes up the flavor alchemy of my drink, at the end of the day it should be all about the tastebud experience.  So "for peat sake" put all the marketing hyperbole aside and enjoy this dram. Smokehead lies true to its Islay heritage so if you like a generous helping of smoke with your malt, this one is definitely worth a  try.  In fact we liked Smokehead even better on our second try.

Ian Macleod was established in 1933 and is one of the largest (but lowest profile) of the independent family companies left in the business.  In addition to Smokehead, they are branded proprietors for Chieftains, Macleod Single Malt, Glengoyne and Isle of Skye Blended Scotch, just to name a few.  They also produce other premium whiskies, gins, rums, vodkas and liqueurs. Smokehead  was launched in 2006 and immediately won a number of awards for its eye-catching packaging.  As it has become more widely distributed, it is winning fans for its whisky as well. This year Smokehead was awarded a gold medal by the Beverage Testing Institute in their annual International Review of Spirits, as well as a silver medal at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits competition. 

This spirit is as impetuous, youthful and edgy as its packaging would suggest.  As expected, the nose is aggressive with peat and a wonderful coastal influence that is redolent with an earthy, rotted peach sweetness (pleasant) more than a heavy medicinal overtone.  Hints of anise and pepper also come through the nose.  The first taste is explosive with the peat smoke forward, then receding but all the while hanging on to your tastebuds.  Ripe dark grapes and plums, honeyed-malt and smoke present all in one flavor package with a slight presence of Sherry and faint iodine.  This delicate sweetness gives way to a peppery spice, return of peat, earthy ash and finishing with a faint briny saltiness on the tongue.  Less astringent than expected, the balance of sea, smoke and sweetness was a nice suprise to this reviewer.  This is a whisky that grows on you with time, we recommend that you try it more than once before passing final judgement.  (Click on picture to purchase.)

Chuao's Miel bonbon provided the most intriguing match to this dram.  Its touch of honey plays well with the delicate sweetness of this scotch.  But it is the almond hazelnut praline filling that makes this a really winning taste combination.  The nuttiness of the confection pulls out the almost hidden maltiness of this whisky while each gristy bite makes for a delightful textural counterpoint to the silkiness of the liquid. Miel is enrobed in the richest milk chocolate cover that you will ever taste.  (Click on picture to purchase.)

With the cigar pairing for this malt, there is no mystery. Arguably the hottest cigar maker and blender right now seems to be Don Pepin Garcia. Having grown up rolling cigars since age 12, his blending and fermentation expertise is based on generations of family recipes. Leaving Cuba after 50 years in the cigar industry, Don Pepin went to Nicaragua in 2001 to work with Tabacalera Cubana de Garcia y Fernandez. In 2003, Don Pepin came to the US and opened El Rey de los Habanos in Miami with 12 rollers. Besides producing cigars of his own, Don Pepin has collaborated with brands like Tatuaje, Padilla, United Tobacco, Troya and many others. This makes him one of the most prolific blenders and a true cigar star.

In order to keep up with this success, Don Pepin recently expanded his operation with a new factory in Esteli, Nicaragua employing over 70 rollers and blenders. It is from the Nicaragua factory that the Series JJ Maduro comes for this months pairing. Hot on the success of the Series JJ Natural cigar, Don Pepin wrapped the same blend with a gorgeous Maduro wrapper for a different experience. (Click on picture for tasting notes and to purchase online.)

Many of Don Pepin's cigars start with a little pepper, and the JJ Maduro is no different. It lasts about a half inch then settles into a earthy flavor with chocolate, coffee and spice notes. Very rich and complex, this cigar is also smooth once the pepper fades. The JJ Maduro continues to produce a creamy full bodied smoke throughout the entire length. Wood flavors emerge in the middle with a sweet finish, then turn darker again. The pepper returns in the last third and tickles the back of the throat.

For an Islay single malt, a good full bodied Nicaraguan puro is a perfect match. While the pepper flavor in a cigar serves to cut through the peat in most Islay malts, with Smokehead it tends to activate the pepper in the malt for a tongue tingling experience. Chocolate, coffee and spice notes deepen and complicate the malt flavors and continually engage the tastebuds, as if Smokehead alone wasn't enough. The full bodied flavor of the JJ Maduro is an excellent foil for the youth of the malt, and the sweetness provided by the Maduro wrapper, keeps the combination from becoming harsh. This is a pairing that will keep you guessing as to which flavor will appear next.