Old Elk Gets Into Cigar Blend Whiskeys With New Cigar Cut Bourbon

Among the different rabbit holes one can go down in whiskeys, the “cigar batch“, or blend, style whiskeys out there draw a particular fascination, especially for those looking for a good spirit to pair with a cigar. It looks like a new offering has recently popped onto the market from Colorado’s Old Elk that fits into this category nicely.

The new Old Elk Cigar Cut is a straight bourbon whiskey described by the brand as “a select blend of our award-winning signature high-malt straight bourbon whiskey, aged six years, finished in sherry, armagnac, port and cognac casks.”

Breaking this down a little more, what you’ve got is a blended bourbon with a primary age of at least six years plus secondary maturation as follows:

• Sherry Cask Finish: 1.5 Years
• Armagnac Cask Finish: 1.25 Years
• Port Cask Finish: 3-8 Months
• Cognac Cask Finish: 3-6 Months

Noted by Old Elk as being “inspired by the warm glow of a smoldering fire as well as the popular pairing of whiskey and cigars,” Old Elk Cigar Cut has been drawn from what’s described as the “best of the best” from the distillery’s Cask Finish series. It’s been bottled at 110.6 proof and has a limited national release that’s on going, with Old Elk having made mention of it in the last week or so on social media.

Official tasting notes on this new cigar blend style whiskey indicate that “Sherry and Armagnac casks provide a rich color and complex flavor notes such as leather. The Port and Cognac casks provide a smooth, velvety and full flavor with spiced dark fruit notes.” As for pricing, online retailers have been popping it north of $120 at the time of this reporting.