Cigar and Whiskey Pairing: What to Pour With What You Smoke

Match the body of the cigar to the body of the whiskey, then use water to tune the proof. Bourbon is the safe call next to almost any cigar. Peated Scotch is the gamble. Every pairing below comes from a named critic at Cigar Aficionado or Whisky Advocate, and every cigar carries its rating and price from our catalog.

Four rules for pairing cigars and whiskey

Jack Bettridge wrote the pairing guides this article follows, for Whisky Advocate in 2019 and for Cigar Aficionado before that. His rules, trimmed:

• Match body first. Bettridge calls it the cardinal rule: full-bodied cigars with full-bodied whiskies, milder cigars with lighter ones. He also says it avoids mistakes more than it finds great pairings.
• Sweet calms spice. He calls bourbon "the universal donor" because its maple, honey, caramel and nut notes find a partner in almost any cigar.
• Keep rye away from pepper. Straight rye's spice "may clash with peppery tobaccos," he writes, but plays well with toasty, nutty cigars.
• Peat plus heavy smoke is risky. Islay peat "often clashes with heavy tobacco smoke," so he reaches for a sweeter cigar instead.

Proof is the dial you control

Most whiskies are bottled in the 80s proof, as Cigar Aficionado noted in its 2012 cask-strength tasting; cask-strength bottlings skip the water. If a pour burns over the cigar, add a few drops before you blame the pairing.

There is chemistry behind that. In a 2017 computer simulation published in Scientific Reports, Linnaeus University chemists found guaiacol, a smoky flavor compound, collects at the surface of whisky at up to about 45% alcohol. At 59% it moves into the liquid.

Critics' pairings, by our catalog's strength label: Auchentoshan Three Wood for Mild-Medium, Dewar's 12 and Maker's Mark for Medium-Full, Maker's Mark Cask Strength for Full.

Peated Scotch does not fit one row. The Scotch section below shows the two ways critics made it work.

Most catalog cigars are Medium or Medium-Full

Our catalog has 2,938 rated records with positive USD reference prices. Of those, 820 are labelled Medium and 1,319 Medium-Full: 2,139 in those two categories. Another 52 are labelled Mild. These historical prices do not establish current retailer offers, and strength labels alone cannot predict a pairing.

Full-bodied cigars do not cost more, so a big pour does not need an expensive partner. The 338 Full cigars have a median price of $8.75, below the $10.00 median for Medium-Full. Another 288 cigars have no published strength. Smoke an inch of one before you pick the bottle.

Pick a strength below for its count, median price and the starting pour from the table above.

Bourbon and cigar pairings

In 2016 Cigar Aficionado paired 16 bourbons with two cigars: a Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo and a Fuente Fuente OpusX Robusto. Maker's Mark Cask Strength was the only bourbon starred with both. Next to the Padrón, Bettridge wrote, "any heat on the Bourbon dissipates."

• Maker's Mark Cask Strength with the Fuente Fuente OpusX Robusto, rated 4.65 at $11.00 and labeled Full. The bourbon's maple turned into "a candy bar of chocolate and nuts."
• Maker's Mark with the Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Exclusivo, rated 4.65 at $9.20. It heads Whisky Advocate's three picks for Maker's with a full-bodied Nicaraguan cigar.
• Maker's Mark with the Vegas Cubanas Generosos, rated 4.65 at $7.18, second on the same Whisky Advocate list.
• Maker's Mark with the Padrón 2000 Maduro, rated 4.6 at $7.20, third on that list.
• Eagle Rare 10 with a Padrón 1964: Cigar Aficionado found the bourbon brought out the cigar's spice and toast, with "creamy orange notes."

The Vegas Cubanas Generosos at $7.18 and the Padrón 2000 Maduro at $7.20 are the cheapest cigars in that list. Standard Maker's Mark, not the cask-strength bottling, is the whiskey in three of these five pairings. More bottles are in our cigars and bourbon guide.

Rye whiskey and cigars

Federal rules (27 CFR 5.143) require rye whisky to come from a mash of at least 51% rye, where bourbon needs 51% corn. That rye grain is where the spice comes from, so pick a cigar that brings toast and sweetness rather than more pepper.

• J.P. Wiser's rye with the My Father Connecticut Robusto, rated 4.5 at $8.40 and labeled Mild-Medium. Whisky Advocate chose it because the light wrapper lets the whisky's spice "pop without overrunning it."

A rye labeled bottled-in-bond is a sturdier pour. Under 27 CFR 5.88 the term means at least four years in wood and bottling at 100 proof. If it burns over the cigar, add a few drops of water.

Scotch and cigars: Speyside, Highland and Islay

Scotch varies more than any other whisky here. In 4 Foolproof Scotch and Cigar Pairings, Bettridge says Lowland malts shine with mild cigars, Speyside malts are the most versatile, and Islay "is the conundrum." The four pairings below are his.

• Lagavulin 16 (Islay) with the Romeo y Julieta 1875 Deluxe No. 1, rated 4.55 at $8.07 and labeled Mild-Medium. Bettridge: the cigar "refuses to stoke the Lagavulin's peat bonfire."
• Dewar's 12 (blended) with the Cain Daytona 550, rated 4.5 at $6.10 and labeled Medium-Full.
• Auchentoshan Three Wood (Lowland) with the Oliva Connecticut Reserve Lonsdale, rated 4.55 at $8.20. Whisky fruit meets the cigar's cream and nuts.
• Glenmorangie Signet (Highland) with the Quesada Tributo Julio, rated 4.5 at $6.50. Both bring cocoa, nuts and fruit.

Cigar Aficionado's 2012 cask-strength tasting found the other way to make peat work. A Lagavulin 12 Special Release at 113 proof "overwhelmed and flattened" a medium-bodied cigar. With a full-bodied Cuban, the Montecristo Edmundo, it was the best match of the tasting.

So peat works with a sweet, mild cigar that stays out of its way, or with a full one that can push back. Our catalog lists the Montecristo Edmundo at 4.65 and £12.50, with no published strength. Speyside and regional detail is in the cigars and Scotch guide.

For the Romeo family beyond this pairing example, compare twelve Romeo y Julieta catalog picks. The guide keeps different lines, historical prices and unresolved identities separate.

Irish whiskey and cigars

Bettridge treats the common blended Irish whiskeys as smooth, which points to mild and medium cigars. He also notes that Irish whiskey works with coffee, so a cigar with a coffee note can work too. His bottle was Powers John's Lane.

• Powers John's Lane with the Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli Torpedo, rated 4.65 at $8.75. Whisky Advocate picked the line for its toast and nuts; the Torpedo is the size in our catalog.
• Powers John's Lane with the La Palina Classic Rosado Robusto, rated 4.5 at $6.99. Bettridge's reason: it "brings coffee to the cocktail."

Japanese whisky and cigars

Cigar Aficionado paired Hibiki Japanese Harmony, an 86-proof blend, with a strong little Cuban torpedo in 2015. Bettridge called it "a bit of a departure from the match-the-bodies rule," then said it works: the cigar filled out the whisky's barrel flavors and the whisky softened the cigar's charred edges.

• Hibiki Japanese Harmony with the Vegueros Mañanita, rated 4.5 at £10.73. That is the cigar from the 2015 tasting.

Stronger Japanese bottlings need the proof dial. Nikka bottles From the Barrel at 51.4% alcohol, against 43% for Hibiki Japanese Harmony. Add a few drops of water before you judge a pairing with it.

Mistakes that wreck the pairing

• Mismatched body. A full cigar with a light pour, or the reverse, is what Bettridge's cardinal rule prevents: "Any imbalance in one element can drown out the other."
• Blaming the cigar for a hot pour. Add a few drops of water first.
• Rye with a peppery cigar. Its spice "may clash with peppery tobaccos."
• Peat with a medium cigar. A cask-strength Lagavulin flattened one in Cigar Aficionado's 2012 tasting.

The rules above prevent bad pairings. Your own palate finds the great ones. For other drinks, see our rum, beer and coffee pairing guides, or check where a cigar falls in the cigar strength guide.

What whiskey goes best with cigars?

Bourbon. Whisky Advocate's Jack Bettridge calls it the universal donor for cigar pairing, because maple, caramel and nut notes find a partner in both mild and full cigars. If you know nothing about the cigar, order a standard bourbon such as Maker's Mark.

What whiskey goes with a full-bodied cigar?

A bold, higher-proof pour. Cigar Aficionado starred Maker's Mark Cask Strength with a Fuente Fuente OpusX Robusto, and matched a cask-strength Lagavulin 12 with a full-bodied Montecristo Edmundo. Our catalog lists 338 Full cigars at a median price of $8.75.

What whiskey goes with a mild cigar?

Irish whiskey, Lowland Scotch or a smooth Canadian whisky. Whisky Advocate paired Auchentoshan Three Wood with an Oliva Connecticut Reserve Lonsdale. Mild is the smallest of the five main strength labels in our catalog: 52 cigars at a median price of $5.46.

Does peated Scotch go with cigars?

Sometimes. Whisky Advocate says Islay peat often clashes with heavy tobacco smoke, and pairs Lagavulin 16 with a sweet, understated Romeo y Julieta 1875. Cigar Aficionado found a cask-strength Lagavulin 12 flattened a medium cigar but suited a full-bodied Cuban.

Should I add water to whiskey when smoking a cigar?

Yes, if the pour burns. A few drops take the alcohol heat down so it does not fight the cigar. A 2017 simulation study in Scientific Reports found a smoky flavor compound gathers at the whisky's surface at about 45% alcohol or less.