Life is great when you are enjoying what you love with like minded wonderful friends.
GLENLIVET 15YO SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
There's a certain smoothness and a different kind of sweetness to the Glenlivet 15. For me, this is better than their 18YO (which was pretty ordinary) and even their 30YO (which was disappointingly lacking in complexity) with more aroma and flavour than their standard 12YO. One the nose the oak comes to the fore in a very light sweet way, obviously woody but not quite honey but something akin to a sweet spice. I want to say nutmeg but it's closer to cloves. Then comes the fruity aromas that are typical with many whiskys from the Highlands (though in truth Highland whiskys do vary dramatically, more than any other region). The taste of this whisky is smooth and sweet, with the oak flavour mixing well with the fruitiness.
HOYO DE MONTERREY SÉRIE LE HOYO
Hoyo De Monterrey cigars generally have a bitter yet smooth flavour that defies understanding but should be enjoyed for what it is - a well constructed cigar that burns evenly, draws well and leaves a bitter after taste in the palate. There cigar is a slightly wider 54 ring gauge and has a good enough length to last a couple of doubles. A relatively light smoke when bringing into the mouth, the bitter after taste surprises the palate on exit.
PAIRING
This was a surprising pairing in that the nutmeg/clove flavours from the whisky were hardened and more pronounced after mixing with and exhaling the cigar smoking. I can't say it made it better, only that I can imagine there are people out there who I'm sure would enjoy the enhanced flavour of an already lively whisky.
Those of you who are observant (or basically look at all the photos) will notice a couple of bottles of red wine: Freakshow 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon and Barossa Old Vine Company 2005 Shiraz. Yummo