Copper & Cask Bourbon & Cigar Set: "X" 10-Year + 9-Year Cigar Blend Batch 017 (2 x 750ml)

This set pairs an unfinished, all-American-oak bourbon with one that spent nearly a year in European casks, letting the cigar decide which pour wins the evening. Both come from Copper & Cask, the Rhode Island bottler that sources mature MGP bourbon and blends it under Barrel Master Stephen Corrigan.

Copper & Cask "X" is the straight-ahead half. It's made from 45 barrels of 10- to 12-year-old bourbon, built from two recipes: 21% rye and 36% rye. No finishing cask touched it. What comes through is aged American oak at full strength: chocolate, caramel, toasted wood, and a cherry cola lift.

Batch 017 was built with a cigar in mind. Nine-year MGP bourbon rested at least nine months in a mix of Oloroso sherry, tawny port, Cognac and Armagnac casks. Some of those brandy casks had held 20- to 25-year-old French spirit. The finish layers plum, fruitcake, and walnut over the bourbon base and closes on dry tobacco leaf, a natural match for a maduro wrapper.

X sits at 116.4 proof and Batch 017 at 118.4, both uncut and non-chill filtered. Pour X with a milder Connecticut-wrapped cigar or before lighting up; save Batch 017 for the darker smoke.

FAQ

What makes Copper & Cask Batch 017 a cigar bourbon? It was blended for cigar pairing. Nine-year MGP bourbon was finished for at least nine months in Oloroso sherry, tawny port, Cognac and Armagnac casks, giving dark fruit, walnut and tobacco notes that match a maduro cigar.

Is Copper & Cask X finished in another cask? No. X is a straight bourbon blended from 45 barrels of 10- to 12-year-old stock with no secondary finish.

Which cigar goes with each bottle? X suits a milder Connecticut-shade cigar or a pour before lighting up. Batch 017 handles a fuller maduro.

Are these bourbons cask strength? Yes. X is 116.4 proof and Batch 017 is 118.4 proof. Neither is cut with water or chill filtered.

Copper & Cask "X" 10-Year (116.4 proof)

• Nose: Milk chocolate melting into salted caramel and toasted oak.
• Palate: Butterscotch and roasted almond give way to dark chocolate cake and cherry cola.
• Finish: Long, with mocha, burnt toffee and a trace of candied orange peel.

Copper & Cask 9-Year Cigar Blend, Batch 017 (118.4 proof)

• Nose: Cherry jam and fresh orange zest.
• Palate: Burnt sugar, butterscotch, roasted plum, cola, fruitcake and toasted walnut.
• Finish: Oak spice fades into candied orange peel, graham cracker and dry tobacco leaf.

The obvious pairing is a Maduro or Connecticut broadleaf cigar with Batch 017. At the table, a heavily charred ribeye suits both bottles. Flourless dark chocolate cake draws out X's cherry cola and Batch 017's brandied fruit. Sharp aged cheddar cuts through the high proof on either.