Cigars and Scotch whisky arguably go together like hand in glove. Indeed, the two are combined into one of the most iconic and quintessential gastronomical pairings and can provide you with a true sensory experience.
In this particular guide, you will discover our ultimate recommendations for the Best Cigars To Pair With Scotch:
- Davidoff Winston Churchill The Late Hour
- JC Newman The American
- Davidoff Yamasá
- Plasencia Alma Fuerte
- Camacho American Barrel Aged
- La Aurora 1903 Emerald
- La Gloria Cubana Serie D N°5
- Perdomo Champagne Noir
- Camacho Coyolar
- Cain Straight Ligero Habano
You can use the links above to jump ahead. You can also head to the menu below to see what else is covered as well as our other guides.
What Are The Best Cigars For Scotch Whisky?
Before you discover the Top 10 Cigars For Scotch Whisky, we would like to highlight that the recommendations below aren’t featured in a particular order of preference. Each cigar we’ve listed has its own qualities for which you should consider it for a particular Scotch whisky.
Similarly, feel free to leave a comment if you have a personal favourite or feel that we left something out!
Launched in 2017, the Winston Churchill The Late Hour was supposedly crafted with a single malt pairing in mind. Indeed, during its release, it was often marketed alongside The Dalmore’s Cigar Malt.
Featuring a handsome Oscuro Habano wrapper that beautifully coats the bold Mexican San Andrés binder, The Late Hour is a hearty cigar with an intricate body. It’s generally best paired with flavoursome Highland expressions. However, you can experiment a little to find your favourite accords.
Recommended Pairings
"The perfect cigar to pair with your favourite Single Malt Scotch whisky."
- Filler: Havana Seed, Mennonite
- Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
- Wrapper: Florida Sun Grown
- Preferred Vitola: 6⅛ x 52 Torpedo
- Assembly: El Reloj [Tampa, Florida]
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Medium – Full
- Smoking Time: 70 Minutes
- Pricing: $16 / Single
The American is the fruit of a wonderful collaboration between producers in the USA. It’s the first cigar to feature the Florida Sun Grown wrapper and its filler consists of Connecticut Havana Seed and Pennsylvanian Mennonite leaf.
This cigar is best paired with robust and full-bodied Scotch expressions. Overall, it would be best suited to a Campbeltown or Highland expression. Nevertheless, certain Islay whiskies that offer deep and vivid notes are excellent choices too.
Recommended Pairings
We had the pleasure of first sampling the Yamasá when filming our Davidoff documentary in the Dominican Republic back in 2019. It was a striking blend and one of the most memorable ones that we tried.
Rich in flavour with profound earthy notes of spices and citrus, it offers a tableau of leather and ground coffee. Consequently, this is another cigar that’s best suited to full-bodied whisky to ensure that the flavour profiles properly complement one another.
Recommended Pairings
- Filler: Condega, Estelí, Jalapa, Ometepe
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Wrapper: Jalapa
- Preferred Vitola: 7 x 58 Generación V Salómon
- Assembly: Plasencia [Nicaragua]
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Full
- Smoking Time: 85 Minutes
- Pricing: $28 / Single [Shop On CigarPage]
Like the Yamasa, we discovered the Alma Fuerte on-site during our travels when visiting the Plasencia factory in Nicaragua. This Nicaraguan puro is a wonderful reflection of what its native soil can offer with notes of leather, coffee beans, and spices like anise and cinnamon.
Although this particular vitola is a little pricey, it’s well worth the investment for a full experience. Indeed, it pairs wonderfully with rich Highland Scotch expressions but even pairs harmoniously with peated varieties of Islay and its neighbouring Hebrides.
Recommended Pairings
- Filler: American Broadleaf, Pennsylvanian Maduro, Honduran Corojo
- Binder: American Broadleaf
- Wrapper: American Broadleaf
- Preferred Vitola: 6″ X 50 Gauge Toro
- Assembly: Honduras
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Medium – Full
- Smoking Time: 70 Minutes
- Pricing: $12 / Single [Shop On CigarPage]
Although this Honduran cigar features a native Corojo leaf that’s been aged for 6 years and finished for 5 months in Amerian Bourbon barrels, it pairs wonderfully with Scotch. The additional caramelised sweetness brought on by the ageing process adds an intriguing bouquet of flavours that pair well with whisky.
We would be more inclined to opt for a floral Lowland or fruity Speyside. In fact, an expression that has had a significant sherry cask finish would ensure a harmonious accord with this cigar.
Recommended Pairings
- Filler: Barrel-aged Dominican Cibao Valley, Peru, Brazil, Nicaragua
- Binder: Barrel-aged Dominican Cibao Valley
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown Sumatra
- Preferred Vitola: 5 x 54 Perfecto
- Assembly: La Aurora [Dominican Republic]
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Medium
- Smoking Time: 50 Minutes
- Pricing: $21 / Single [Buy Now]
Produced by the historical Dominican manufacturer, the 1903 Emerald pays homage to La Aurora’s heritage of over 100 years. It’s crafted from a unique selection of Dominican, Peruvian, Nicaraguan, Brazilian, and Ecuadorian tobaccos.
Its harmonious profile vivid tableau of tasting notes that range from mild cinnamon spice to oily leather. These pair harmoniously with high-quality Scotch whisky without interfering with its complexity.
Indeed, it’s a relatively versatile cigar and can be paired with a selection of different whisky. Generally, we would suggest either a Highland or Lowland single malt.
Recommended Pairings
- Filler: Cuban Puro
- Binder: Cuban Puro
- Wrapper: Cuban Puro
- Preferred Vitola:4 1/3 x 50 Petit Corona
- Assembly: Partagás [Havana Vieja, Cuba]
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Mild – Medium
- Smoking Time: 60 Minutes
- Pricing: $13 / Single [Shop On CigarPage]
A wonderfully balanced Cuban cigar, the La Gloria Cubana Serie D N°5 may ba a Spanish exclusive, but it’s not too hard to find through the right retailers. With harmonious aromas of coffee beans, pine, and cinnamon, it is a distinctively aromatic cigar.
Consequently, it’s best suited to more delicate whisky expressions that are playful and perhaps a little young. Otherwise, Islay’s Caol Ila 12 is a remarkably floral and aromatic peated whisky that would accord wonderfully with its flavours.
Recommended Pairings
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Wrapper: Cuban Seed Maduro
- Preferred Vitola: 6 x 54 Toro
- Assembly: Estelí, Nicaragua
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Medium – Full
- Smoking Time: 70 Minutes
- Pricing: $8.50 / Single [Shop On CigarPage]
Although this Nicaraguan puro delivers savoury gourmand notes of chocolate and coffee bean, the Perdomo Champagne Noir is surprisingly sweet with a mild body. Indeed, it’s said to be an excellent entry-level cigar as an example that offers full flavours despite its milder body.
Given its balanced flavour profile, the Champagne Noir is quite a versatile cigar for a number of beverages. While it may pair best with a rich Highland single malt, it would happily accord with a Lowland or Speyside expression too.
Recommended Pairings
- Filler: Honduran Criollo
- Binder:Honduran Criollo
- Wrapper: Honduran Criollo
- Preferred Vitola: 6.5 x 52 “Super” Toro
- Assembly: Diadema Cigars [Honduras]
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Full
- Smoking Time: 80 Minutes
- Pricing: $9 / Single [Shop On CigarPage]
Produced only with Criollo sourced from a single 15-acre farm near Danlí, the Coyolar is a fascinating cigar. It has a particular allure with its dark and oily wrapper, which reveals mellow flavours of thick leather.
Needless to say, the Coyolar needs a hearty whisky to compete with its powerful flavours. Although they’re not Scotch, both France’s Glann Ar Mor Kornog and India’s Amrut Fusion are single malts and would be excellent choices.
Recommended Pairings
- Filler: Estelí, Condega, Jalapa
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
- Preferred Vitola: 6 x 60 Gordo
- Assembly: Oliva Cigars [Estelí, Nicaragua]
- Handmade: Yes
- Body: Full
- Smoking Time: 80 Minutes
- Pricing: $8 / Single [Shop On CigarPage]
Oliva’s Cain range is an interesting Studio Tobac project. These blends are produced from 100% straight Ligero leaves from a variety of typically Nicaraguan varieties. While some of them may lack the finesse and nuance of a fine cigar, the Habano has a lot to offer.
We would suggest opting for either a full-bodied and flavoursome Highland single malt or even a peated option from the Hebrides. For instance, Laphroaig 10 certainly wouldn’t be out of place on this occasion.
Recommended Pairings
How To Pair Cigars & Single Malt Whisky
As we stated earlier, cigars and whisky make for one of the most celebrated pairings that you can enjoy. Both offer their own unique flavours, which often marry in a harmonious way.
Of course, not every cigar and whisky pair quite as well as you may hope but there are ways of ensuring that you optimise the smoking experience.
Make Sure Your Cigars Are Well-Stored
A harmonious pairing experience that you’ve taken time to prepare can easily be ruined by a cigar that’s too humid or too dry. If your cigar is too dry, it will burn hot and fast. Similarly, you may lose precious oils that provide the cigar with its flavours.
Meanwhile, a cigar that’s too humid may regularly go out or you could experience a variety of burning issues. Therefore, it’s essential that your cigars are properly stored in advance of the occasion.
We have developed a variety of cigar storage guides, which will help you find out how to best store your cigars. If you’re not a regular cigar smoker, we highly recommend our guide to building a DIY tupperdor, which is quick and easy.
In short, we recommend putting your cigars in an airtight container for a few days or even weeks before you smoke them. We suggest that you use Boveda packs to store your cigars as they’re the easiest and most reliable humidifiers that you can use.
Thanks to a two-way humidification system through reverse osmosis, they will absorb excess humidity while only releasing the right amount. As a result, your cigars will be perfectly fresh when you want to smoke them.
Season & Time Of Day
Firstly, it’s important to bear in mind that the time of day, as well as the season, play a role in determining the best cigar and whisky to enjoy together. Not only do we have different preferences and moods but our palate changes throughout the day too.
You might be unlikely to sip on a whisky in the morning, but you may notice a difference between how it tastes at that moment compared to the evening. Indeed, our palate and perception of value evolve throughout the day.
For instance, you’ll note that our recommended cigars greatly change throughout the following guides:
In the above guides, we explain how our palate is particularly sensitive in the morning. As we’re exposed to more stimuli throughout the day, it effectively becomes numbed and requires greater stimulation later for a similar effect.
We’ve already explained this in detail on several guides and we provide links to them in the paragraph below. However, in a nutshell, our palate is more sensitive in the morning and will eventually require more stimulation from fuller-bodied cigars as it’s exposed to stimulation throughout the day.
The same concept applies during different seasons and you may notice that your sense of smell is more acute in the summer than it is in winter. Therefore, your tastes may fluctuate throughout these different considerations and it’s worth keeping it in mind when choosing your whisky.
Aim For A Similar Body
When choosing your cigar and whisky pairing, the secret is to find balance and harmony by finding both with flavours that accord.
An accord is a term most commonly used in perfumery but is often employed by wine tasters too. However, it can be used in a variety of ways, which is confusing. Firstly, an accord comes from French and means “an agreement”. In this context, it refers to the way two things can pair together.
As we’ll explain below, there are different ways to pair combinations that agree. However, this most important first step is to ensure that your pairings match one another in terms of body and strength.
If the cigar and whisky each have a similar body, they will be able to both be able to express their flavours together. Yet, if one is stronger than the other, the weaker one of the two may be overwhelmed and drowned out.
Complementing Flavours
Meanwhile, an accord in perfumery instead talks about how individual notes or flavours can work together to create a new aroma altogether.
When pairing whisky and cigars, your objective is to ideally achieve both types of accords that were described above. Overall, you’re looking to find two consumables that agree with one another. Meanwhile, if the two can great new and distinctive aroma by combining them, you’re able to heighten the experience!
This can be achieved by complementing and contrasting the flavours individually created by the cigar and whisky. For instance, if a whisky has a similar flavour profile to the cigar, they can complement one another.
Furthermore, if they have similar specific notes, you can even extend it by pairing them together. For example, if a whisky expression and a cigar both feature a certain note such as nutmeg, having both at the same time will extend this nutmeg flavour.
Contrasting Flavours
Conversely, you can try to contrast their flavours. This is much more challenging but yields excellent results if you succeed. However, it does risk being disastrous if you fail!
On this occasion, you seek to create an accord by pairing a cigar and a whisky with similar profiles but particular notes that are very different. The objective is for these two contrasting notes to clash just enough that they produce an exciting new flavour that you will enjoy.
Similarly, contrast can be achieved through palate stimulation. This is something that we often explore when reviewing cigars. Some cigars and whisky will focus the stimulation on only one part of the tongue whereas others may spread it all over the palate.
If you’re creative, you can find a whisky that stimulates one part and a cigar that stimulates another. As a result, they work together to stimulate the entire palate. For instance, a cigar that’s slightly sweet can be offset by a whisky that’s a bit bitter.
How Did We Rank These Cigars?
Every cigar in this list has either been fully reviewed or at least formally tasted by us. Therefore, we guarantee that nothing has been included that we haven’t at least tested in a professional setting.
Indeed, we’re very proud of our methodology and believe that it yields accurate results. Every cigar is tested or reviewed using the Bespoke Unit Cigar Formula. This review matrix was designed over several years to produce a quantifiable score system that we can use with our articles.
We first launched it with the Avo Nicaragua review in August 2019 and we’ve included it in all reviews since then. However, we’ve continued to tweak and improve it along the way!
As a result, we were able to use the quantified scoring for putting together these guides. Therefore, you can be certain that our guides have been assembled by conviction rather than guesswork.
What Next?
Firstly, did we miss anything out? Feel free to let us know in the comments below! Otherwise, now that you’ve seen the best cigars for whisky, why don’t you also check out our related guides below?