Whiskey & pipe smoking.

[simong]

I'm a man of simple pleasures, women,a nice deserving drink after a hard days graft, & a good smoke. I thought I had everything sussed! Then along came the Internet & a whole new wealth of information came before my eyes. Thanks to forums like this one I have gained knowledge from others. The world of whiskey, is as complex as the world of pipe tobaccos we have at the click of a button. To me the only thing that can better a good smoke on my pipe, is having a wee dram alongside. Single malts, blends, the choice is endless & like pipe tobaccos, expensive. So I thought I'd give a shout out to (ralfy.com). He's a very amiable little scotch man living on the Isle of man, who in his spare time does whiskey reviews on you tube. His reviews are so spot on that before buying a new whiskey I'll check his site out, so highly I regard his advice. If you look up 'whiskey review 302' he does a spot on whiskey & pipesmoking. Well worth a visit. Slaint'e to you all.

 

[rfernand]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[andrew]

It doesn't have to be expensive. My go to whisky is Alberta Premium, which is the same price as bottom shelf whisky, but won best Canadian Whisky several years in a row from Jim Murray, a 95 rating out of 100.

 

[erichbaumer]

I'll second that on Ralphy's reviews. One of the more worthwhile things on YouTube.

 

[michaelmirza]

I love good whiskey and scotch alone, but don't like to have them with my smokes. The strength of the liquids usually numbs my tongue enough to wipe out any possibility of tasting the faint flavors of pipe tobacco clouds. They're separate pleasures for me (though I really like whiskey-flavored aromatics).

 

[music4cash]

Michael Mirza I agree that straight whiskey (I prefer bourbon), overpowers tobacco, but a little bit of club soda tames it enough to make a great pairing. My current evening ritual is a bowl of Frog Morton Cellar, and a tumbler of Blanton's single barrel, with a splash of club soda.

 

[philobeddoe]

I too very much enjoy ralfys reviews, he is very throurough and fair.

 

[erichbaumer]

I've found that whisky and tobacco pairings are certainly a delicate affair, but the right combination can be pure gold. For example, to me, my favorite peaty scotches tend to overpower cigars, but compliment English blends perfectly, despite the fact that cigars seem to be "stronger" in flavor than all but the heaviest of pipe blends. More neutral bourbons seem to work well for both, but especially stogies. Brandy doesn't gel at all with my pipes, but may be my favorite companion to a cigar. I think everything depends quite a bit on personal taste, and the interaction of specific flavors and textures on one's own palate, so that some combinations work very well for some and don't do anything for others.

 

[andrew]

I find whisky such as bourbon, Canadian whisky, Irish whisky, pretty much anything on the sweeter side goes really well with Virginia.

 

[choch]

Some like chocolate, while others like strawberry. I find that straight scotches are a bit overwhelming with my English and even Balkan blends. However, adding a small splash of soda to those scotches rounds them out somewhat and makes for a great match with my pipes (which is why I prefer blended scotches with a pipe, as adding soda to a single malt is sacrilege) . Cognac and Armagnac, to my palette, work wonderfully with the aforementioned tobaccos. Canadian whiskies work fairly well (albeit they lack flavor overall), and bourbon, to me, is somewhat neutral. YMMV, as always.

 

[shutterbugg]

Alcohol strips the protective coating from oral mucosa, leaving it more susceptible to the deleterious effects of tobacco smoke, so I don't pair them. Also as I prefer the unadulterated taste of my tobacco, I drink only water while smoking.

 

[johnnyiii]

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake and any whisky or bourbon is a really nice combination for me. Also like a sweet black cav with c&d burley ribbon cut 50/50.

 

[brudnod]

I am a Virginia (resident) smoker for years. I also have a bourbon taste, most often Dickel Tennessee Sour Mash Whisky, 12 year old. The combination is sublime...

 

[matches]

I'm a fan of Islay malts and Latakia blends. But together might be a bit much. I'm working my way through a bottle of Uigeadail at the moment with great pleasure.

 

[bcharles123]

I will definitely be giving this a try. I have a few whiskeys that need attention.
Generally I like something sweet with a cigar (a Coke or maybe port) and something neutral with a pipe ( tea or club soda). But it can't hurt to mix things up!

 

[music4cash]

+1 for Dickel