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Cigar Malt 1993 (Butt) 15 YO @ 55.6%
Chieftain's
The Cigar Malt 6th Edition
Region: Speyside
Wood Type: Sherry Butt
Cask No: 3661 Distilled: November 1993
A panel of experts gathered at the Hotel du Vin in Glasgow, amongst them whisky tasters & cigar specialists, to select the 6th Edition of the Chieftain's Cigar Malt. This is a unique Sherry matured Single Cask single malt, selected from a variety of ten preselected cask samples, matured in all styles of wood and from various distilleries and regions of Scotland. A very rich, fruity, spicy, elegant malt with some light burnt oak notes. It is an ideal companion to be sipped and enjoyed at home or with friends, on its own or with a wide variety of Cigars.
Our panel was composed of: Keir Sword & Stuart Smith from Royal Mile Whiskies and The Cigar Box on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Regis Lemaitre, Whisky Consultant of RegisWhiskyMad, Jens Tausch of the European Cigar Journal, and Johnny Walker, Director of Wines & Spirits for De Vere and Hotel du Vin Groups.
Notes from the tasters:
Stuart Smith: "An intriguing nose – starts with citrus, apple and touches of banana and then, with a bit of time, a raspberry ripple ice cream sweetness emerges. Give this one time to open out – burnt sugar, perfumed and surprisingly delicate – most agreeable!
On the palate, it starts with Orange marmalade and more creamy characters. I then found more apples and the sherry cask influence starts to appear with dried fruits and crème brulée. Good, long textured finish. With dilution, the sherry influence emerges even further . Thoroughly enjoyable on its own or with a wide variety of cigars – although I’d be rather happy with a Trinidad Coloniales…"
Regis Lemaitre: "Sweet and sour, sherried, autumn leaves, fresh, fruity, dried grapes and sultanas. Sherry, sweet with dried fruits, touch of spice and big flavour , with a long creamy flavour.
Well, a vision of smoke floating to the upper palate of your mouth on a lake of whisky which gives your tongue and lower mouthfeel a pleasurable sensation. Smoke on the water of life! “Arr (fog) on the loch” then the flavours mingle to give you this superb climax of satisfaction. Enough to bring both the glass and the cigar back to the mouth.
My cigar would most likely be medium to full bodied of no particular tobacco origin but one I would choose over any others would probably be H. Upmann, Slainth! "
Jens Tausch: "Smashing, a great complexity in flavours. Walnut, herbal sweetness and very decent hint of peat find the way straight to the nose. Just add some drops of water and you will notice notes of sherry embedded in a quite complex structure. On the palate you get fruits, sweetness and balanced spicy notes. With some water you will find more sherry and later on aromas of sugared coffee. Combine it with a Hoyo de Monterrey du Depute and it will release sweet-toasted notes with a spicy kick. Together with full-bodied, medium strong cigars from Nicaragua or Honduras like a C.A.O. Novella, even more expressivity comes into play."
Keir Sword: "Rich and jammy, but with lots of sweet vanilla on the nose. Chamois leather, cedar wood and some molasses. Lots of fruit and berries and some toffee. Good complexity on the nose.
On the palate, the richness is still there. This whisky is full of body and its rich character will stand up well beside a full-bodied Cuban cigar such as a Partagas or Bolivar - although it's also meaty enough to enjoy on its own."
Antony McCallum-Caron: "A beautiful rich fruit cake nose followed by raspberry conserve, light toffee and citrus peel. An oily, spicy palate of hot chillies, dry plum wine and nuts. Mouth warming and delicate. Dry tobacco leaf mouth and lemon zest as an aftertaste. A fantastic all rounder with all styles of cigars."