As part of Gaucho’s recent 7 Whiskeys in 7 days, we visited the Gaucho Piccadilly branch for an evening with our friends from Hunters & Frankau and Basil Hayden.
The one thing that was not our friend was the weather, it was a shocker as far as smoking outside goes but luckily Gaucho had ample coverage and powerful heaters.
As the tables filled and the chatter between cigar fans new and old filled the air we were passed our cigar for the evening – a Montecristo petit No2.
Length: 4 3/4″
Ring Gauge: 52
Flavour: Medium to Full
Jimmy from Hunters & Frankau then took us on a journey around the cigar world covering some of the basics for those fresher to this most excellent pastime and then adding some extra notes of detail for the more discerning among the group.
It was then the turn of Dave from Basil Hayden to take us through the Bourbon pairing for the evening – Basil Hayden’s True Barrel Bourbon.
This was a new liquid to us so nose, taste and earbuds were all tuned to 100% focus mode…
We learnt the recipe for this distinguished Bourbon dates back to 1796 when Basil Hayden was Master Distiller. Hayden was born in Maryland – an area that was accustomed to using a high proportion of rye in the production of Whiskey. When he moved to Kentucky, Hayden adapted to the Kentucky method of producing Whiskey from a base of corn, but he continued to add a higher percentage of rye than other distillers which resulted in this smooth, mild Bourbon.
On to the TASTING! Basil Hayden’s is a mild and light bodied Bourbon with a peppery, almost spicy element with a touch of honey. It has a gentle bite and a dry, clean, brief finish.
Very easy to drink neat and a welcome companion during the cold winter weather.
So what did we think of the pairing…
The Montecristo Petit No2 smokes a little differently from the No2, being a little spicier and earthier, with not so much of a peppery finish. Couple this with the fact there’s a double dose of rye (compared to other Bourbons in the same collection), and a slightly peppery taste and aroma you had a perfectly well-balanced pairing with the Montecristo Petit No2.
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So there you have it, an excellent venue to host a great pairing of a fine cigar and smooth & approachable bourbon.