Sometimes you gotta wade through the muck to appreciate the opportunities to smell roses....... Those of you who have lived a charmed existence may say this is bullshit..... Anyway, this post is not a strong recommendation for either the whisky or the cigar so read on if you're bored, curious, or just wanna keep going.
Johnnie Walker White Walker blended scotch whisky
Johnnie Walker put out this whisky to latch on to the whole Game of Thrones schtickmania. If you freeze the bottle it actually says "Winter is Here" on the side of the bottle. If you're a big GoT fan, then by all means buy a bottle for the sake of having GoT paraphernalia. If you're a whisky enthusiast then don't waste your money on this lolly water. If you're both, like me, then buy a bottle anyway if only to bitch and moan about having bought it. Johnnie Walker have some truly wonder whiskys in their range (black or double black are both good value for money, blue is my favorite blend, swing is an excellent sipping whisky) but the White Walker isn't one of them. I wouldn't even use it to mix with coke let alone contaminate soda water. Imagine orange soda (other than Fanta) without the bubbles or the joy of something orangey leaving only a "what am I drinking?" sensation with alcohol. Apparently you're supposed to drink it really cold - doesn't help.
Cigar pairing - Urban Eagle Magnifico Primero
I will be amazed if anyone has heard of this brand because it has been put out by a friend of mine using tobacco from China. Yes, China. If you have read this far and you're a whisky and/or cigar enthusiast then by now I'm sure you're judging me. And fair enough too. China is not well known for cigars and unlikely to be any time soon. (Sorry friend, but I didn't like your cigar and I will say as much when we meet next). The cigar starts off bitter, similar to a Nicaraguan maduro leaf, with no subtle notes of anything but bitter. I imagine that's what the ash would taste like after it cools down. The draw was uneven and the burn went down one side without tending. The middle was better, still bitter but at least with some complexity: some feint nuttiness and some bitter sweetness, but on the whole still bitter. The draw did improve a little (half of it was gone so it wasn't getting worse) as did the burn but maybe because of my tending. At several intervals I did consider changing it out for something else but I persisted. The end of the cigar became a little sour which, with the bitterness pervading the whole experience, was not a good combination.
If you're hoping for a 2 wrongs make a right theme then this isn't the place. Neither were good separately, and together they were not good either. If I had to find a silver lining, dull and tarnished as that silver would be, it is that together they didn't make something worse.
