Luck o' the Irish

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Luck o' the Irish

Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Madeira Cask with Carlos Torano Signature Series and Chuao Wild Truffle Bonbon

horseshoe Since it would seem sacrilegious to drink scotch on March 17th, we decided that a single malt Irish whiskey represented the proper tipple. Cooley, one of the remaining independent distillerlies in Ireland has been producing whiskies with great Irish pedigrees since 1987, so we decided to sample their winning Tyrconnell brand for our recommended St. Patrick's Day pairing. Tyrconnell was named after a chestnut colt owned by the Watt family, who truly had the "Luck of the Irish". This thoroughbred was a 100 - 1 winner in the Irish Produce Stakes in 1876, and Watt who was also a distiller, commemorated that spectacular win with a label for his favorite whiskey. The Watt's family long and successful distilling tradition began in 1762 and ended with plant closure in 1925. Cooley purchased it in 1988 making a wise decision to resurrect the brand and perpetuate its distinctive "win by a nose" label.

Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Madeira Cask, has a sweetness that is characteristic of Irish whiskies. Jim Murray in his 2008 Whisky Bible rated it 95 and bestowed his "Irish Whiskey of the Year" award to this spirit. No small achievement for such a youngster, Tyrconnell has matured a mere 10 years in American Oak and the Madeira cask finish adds a nice element of dryness to an otherwise juicy fruit palate. The nose is filled with a combination of honey, strawberries, ginger and wood. The palate is a bit different with tropical fruits and candied ginger competing with caramel at first taste. Madeira wineyness is somewhat evident in the middle. A faint chocolate note quickly disappears as the drink mellows out to more fruits and a soft spiciness. (Click on picture to purchase from WhiskyShop).

We opted to stay away from the fruity bon bons for this pairing, as the combination was much too cloyingly sweet. The wonderful Wild Truffle presents the winning taste combination with its silky fudge center and cocoa powder exterior. The smooth texture of the Wild Truffle is perfect with the slick mouth feel and warming body of this malt. (Click on picture for bonbon collection).

Matching the excellent pedigree of the Tyrconnell malt is a cigar from a family long known for premier tobacco-growing in Cuba. When Carlos Toraño's father and family lost their tobacco farms to Castro's nationalization process, the family spread around the world. Today, growers in the Dominican Republic credit Carlos Toraño with introducing the Cuban seed there and teaching the farmers to grow the Piloto Cubano. Personally owning and operating cigar factories in each of the leading cigar producing countries, the Toraño family oversees each part of the production process. Now approaching the century mark in their history, the company has twelve (12) lines of cigars, some a tribute to their begininngs (1916 Cameroon), to their exodus from Cuba (Exodus 1959), and to their late father Carlos Toraño, Sr., all with incredible attention to detail, quality and flavor.

The choice was a difficult one, but in the end the cigar that wins this race has it's owners signature on the band - the Carlos Toraño Signature Collection. A beautiful medium to full-bodied smoke with rich flavors of roasted coffee, earthy cocoa, honey and nuts. This cigar is wrapped with a gorgeous Sun Grown Maduro Brazilian wrapper which glistens with oils. The cigar is a smokestack, producing huge quantities of smooth, flavorful smoke with each draw. A fine burn line shows the quality of the tobaccos and the torcedor's skill.

In combination with the very fruity single malt, the cigar provided an earthiness that offset the fruit, pulling some of the madeira flavors forward. The sweet nuts and honey also served to bring out the similar flavors in the malt, and while full bodied, the cigar never overpowered the youthful whisky. The cigar also highlighted the light chocolate note in the whisky. Think of fruit covered in dark chocolate and you will get the match. (Click on picture to purchase from SeriousCigars.)

So pour yourself a dram of whiskey (with an e), fire up this excellent Honduran cigar, nibble at the chocolate while wearing green on the 17th, and raise your glass in our toast to the Emerald Isle.

"May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you."

Sláinte!

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Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Madeira Cask with Carlos Torano Signature Series and Chuao Wild Truffle Bonbon

Pairings

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