St Patrick’s Day is arguably the first real party of the year, and a perfect excuse to fire up our favourite Cuban cigars. It has grown from the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint into a day where people across the globe, whether or not from the Irish diaspora, gather to celebrate the island and its culture. The food, the drink, the music and the legendary craic are showcased on a cheerful day which usually turns quickly into a raucous night and quite often a long weekend to follow. More often than not the fuel for this Celtic fire is a mixture of Guinness and Irish Whiskey.
It is quite remarkable how St Patrick’s Day has been embraced by the world as a festival of all things Irish. Most likely due to the vast numbers who identify as having Irish heritage – over 70 million worldwide, compared to a population of about 7 million on the island itself – as well as the proliferation of Irish pubs in most cities and towns, it is now a party which attracts global sponsors and hordes of people keen to pitch up with a pint and join in, and even sees rivers in New York and Chicago dyed green. The Irish are known for their love of a party, and this is the biggest of the year.
In Ireland they will claim that the whiskey they make and drink is the original, the first to have been given to the world. Naturally, as a Scotsman, I disagree. Regardless your opinions on the spirit’s origin, and your feelings on spelling it with an ‘e’, it cannot be doubted that some of the brands shipping whiskey out from the Emerald Isle are creating some fantastic liquid. I caught up with a couple of London’s leading whisk(e)y experts to discuss some of their favourites, and how they pair with cigars.
Nelson Bernardes is the manager of The Churchill Bar and Terrace in Portman Square, one of the capital’s finest spots for a drink and which boasts a beautiful cigar terrace and humidor. He has perfected his trade in luxury venues across the world, including a stint running a 5-star cigar lounge in Shanghai. “For a St Patrick’s Day cigar pairing, I would have to recommend Egan’s Fortitude. Irish whiskey is generally seen as being lighter than Scottish, due to the differing distillation process. This bottle is unusual in that every drop has been matured exclusively in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. This makes it wonderfully rich; full of dried fruit and rich chocolate – very different from the usual lightness of Irish whisky. To go with this, I have chosen the Romeo y Julieta Dianas, from their new Linea de Oro. I like this match because, like the whiskey is a step up in body from usual Irish whiskey, the Linea de Oro is blended to be medium-to-full strength, as opposed to the brand’s usual medium body.”
As well as a match in body, the brands also have a similar heritage. Egan’s have been making whisky since the mid-1800s – around the same time that Romeo y Julieta was founded. Nelson explained, “We are now on the fifth and sixth generations of the Egan family making the family’s whisky. The brand was reimagined in 2003, and the Fortitude is one of their finest expressions.”
Such heritage is found throughout the Irish whiskey world. George Michie, manager of the Soho Whisky Club on Old Compton Street – a truly magnificent whisky bar, with around 450 bottles, a cigar terrace and an attached fine wine and rare whisky shop so you can take your discoveries home with you – is a man whose whisky knowledge and warm hospitality is seldom surpassed. His first Paddy’s Day pick is another label which has been produced by the same family for several generations – this time the Mitchells, of Mitchell and Sons whiskey bonders. Their Spot Whiskey has been around for well over 100 years, in a variety of guises, and the Green Spot Chateau Montalena Cask edition is one of the most popular. “Spot Whiskey is produced in Cork and bottled by the Mitchells after careful maturation in select fine wine casks,” George explains, “and is named for the coloured spots left on the cask to indicate how long it will be matured for. Chateau Montalena is one of the most prestigious wineries of the Napa Valley, and the oak it has been aged in gives a wonderful fruitiness to the whisky – think cranberries and pomegranates, with a light body and freshness.” This is a daytime dram, best paired with a similarly light cigar. “I like the combination of the light, bright whiskey with a quick Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto. It’s a great way to begin a long celebration without overpowering the palette too early on.”
Sparing a thought for the fact that St Patrick’s Day parties are usually marathons, not sprints, is wise. Begin light and build up is the best advice, and if you build, build to a crescendo. “The Teeling’s Renaissance Series is a truly premium whiskey; a single malt which is aged for most of its 18 years in ex-bourbon barrels before spending the last 18 months in madeira casks. It has body, it has flavour, it has a character that sets it apart from most others. The madeira cask finish gives it a wonderful spicy-ness on the nose, and the taste can only be described as ‘fucking good’.”
So what, then, to pair with such premium body and flavour? “It would have to be a Cohiba Robusto. Premium deserves to sit with premium.”
However you choose to commemorate St Patrick this year, and whichever branch of Irish culture you appreciate the most, “premium deserves to sit with premium” is a mantra that will serve you well. Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit!