“I Drink A Great Deal. I Sleep A Little, And I Smoke Cigar After Cigar.
That Is Why I Am In Two-Hundred-Percent Form!”
~ Winston Churchill
The Cigar
Let’s do something bold, and let’s do it with a ‘Churchill.’ These cigars are typically seven inches long, and range from 47 to 50/64ths of an inch in ring gauge diameter. They are named after the historic tommy gun toting British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, a legendary cigar connoisseur known as “Cigarface.” Due to their longer length and bigger size, they burn less hot, for a longer duration, allowing for many more flavor transitions than shorter cigars.
I know the perfect cigar, the El Prez Churchill by Valor Cigars. This Texas based Veteran owned boutique cigar brand donates ten percent of their profits, annually, to Non-Profit organizations that help our Military and First Responders. “This year, we’re excited to join forces with the Special Operations Transition Foundation to honor and support these remarkable individuals. Let’s make a difference together!”
The El Prez is a bold Churchill, wrapped in a beautiful Nicaraguan Maduro leaf, filled with more Nicaraguan Maduro leaves, with an interesting Indonesian binder. “This full-bodied cigar demands attention with its powerful blend of top-quality Nicaraguan and Indonesian leaves. The expertly crafted tobaccos deliver a smoking experience that even the “EL PREZ” will relish. Named in honor of our Commander in Chief, this cigar stands as a testament to excellence.”
We can expect some bold notes of coffee, pepper, dark chocolate, and earthy sweetness on this awesome blend.
Now…what to pair with it?
The Whiskey
Congratulations to Iowa’s powerhouse whiskey brand, Cedar Ridge, on twenty years of whiskey cheers. Definitely check out our many celebratory Whiskey Network write-ups on this amazing brand and featured expressions. You will love their story and popular offerings, especially their QuintEssential American Single Malt and Barrel Proof Bourbon. They are both must try bangers!
Let’s see what Cedar Ridge expression can stand up to this bold Churchill cigar. Ah of course, the obvious choice for me is their incredible 2025 Number Five Special Release version of their QuintEssential American Single Malt. This is the expression’s fifth release, finished in five different finishing casks, in honor of their 2005 distillery opening and meaning of the owner’s last name, Quint. It’s ‘QuintEssential’ because it was created by their dedicated Master Blender and owner, Murphy Quint, which means we are in for a real treat.
My Tasting Notes:
Nose: Meaty and earthy notes of orange infused molasses, cardamom, and vanilla extract over a hint of chocolate and cinnamon spice on the finish.
Palate: Extremely thick viscosity, immediate sweetness, with the perfect balance of dark meaty fruitiness, unique palate coating chalkiness, and lingering red wine fruit notes on the lingering finish.
This is a bomb ass whiskey! I was stunned as there was no obvious peat on the palate. It’s as if it simply acted as a glue to hold all of the whiskey’s amazing bold wine notes together. I can honestly say, this is the best American Single Malt expression to hit my palate yet! I’ve had a few.
This heavenly dark liquid features 2-row pale malted barley, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, finished in two different Ruby Port casks, Marquette wine casks, blended with peated malt, with an additional finishing in Madeira wine casks. My mind is blown and raging with excitement, as this multi-finished dram should burst with thirst quenching flavors. Bottled at its natural high cask strength of 117.8 proof (58.9% ABV), we undoubtedly have a flavorful and bold Cedar Ridge whiskey to pair with this bold Churchill, especially with some peated malt in the mix.
Let’s ‘get gangster with it!’
El Prez
Brand: Valor Cigar Company
Vitola: 7×50 Churchill
Tripa (Filler): Nicaraguan Maduro
Capa (Wrapper): Nicaraguan Maduro
Capote (Binder): Indonesian
Body: Medium Plus
Price: $7
Purchase Here
Visual/Pre-light Draw
The dark roasted looking Maduro wrapper is nice and oily with the boldest and toughest looking veins. The oval black and silver bordered band carries the American flag in the front, the Valor Cigar Company blue shield logo on the back, over its name ‘El Prez.’ The cigar is very toothy, rough to the touch, and very patriotic with that American flag. Nice touch!
There is no spice on the palate when prepping the head for that nice straight cut. The dry draw is full of dark berry notes with subtle hay and chocolate notes on the finish.
The side sniff is very earthy, full of fresh hay and a hint of chocolate. We definitely get dark roasted coffee beans on the dry foot odor, with more chocolate on the finish. I chose a straight guillotine cut to maximize flavor potential on the cigar because we have a heavy hitter whiskey to step up to! I even dry boxed the cigar for a day to help the blend’s tobacco notes generate more flavor on the wrapper, as they will attempt to escape the cigar in the dry environment. I hope I trapped them at the right moment.
Time to light this Churchill up!
First Third
The foot smoke odor is full of dark chocolate fudge notes over freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Immediately I get vanilla cream filled coffee notes and the draw is on point for my liking. Some nice leather notes come to the forefront. This cigar is immediately right up my alley. I just love Maduros. There is the perfect balance of vanilla, coffee, and chocolate on the retro-hale, with little to no spice on the finish. Beautiful! We also have a high volume cigar, the foot smoke fills the room with its incredible chocolate and coffee aromas. Its also a very slow burning Churchill. We’ll need some time to fully enjoy this lengthy cigar, but that’s the whole idea of cigar smoking, it gives us the opportunity to slow things down, and be present in the moment.
Cigar to whiskey: This is a dark chocolate covered cherry all day. We have the perfect union of flavors to give us this amazing chocolate covered cherry note that lingers with a hint of spice on the palate. Absolutely delectable!
Second Third
There is no way this is a seven dollar cigar, because it’s smoking and tasting like a twenty or even a thirty dollar cigar. Kudos to Valor Cigars for keeping the price on such an awesome cigar so reasonable. Heavy coffee and cappuccino notes come to the forefront here in the second third. More awesome leather notes on the backend as well. The retro-hale is creamier, sweeter, and packed with those awesome vanilla infused coffee notes, no spice. I am really digging how bold and dark this cigar is. It’s perfect for this bold and dark Quintessential expression.
Whiskey to cigar: Those fruity red wine and orange notes of the whiskey are doused with coffee notes from the cigar, producing a cream filled Italian pastry note, very similar to Maritozzi. Known as ‘a lover’s treat,’ young Italian women would compete with their Maritozzi, the best one would earn a marriage proposal.
This pairing is heaven! “Momma I’m Comin Home!” by another British legend, the ‘Prince of Darkness,’ is absolutely perfect for this quintessential pairing. Lets continue to celebrate the life of such an incredibly influential artist, The Great Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne. We love you Ozzy! Cheers mate!
Final Third
There is something very intriguing about this cigar, it leaves a lingering flavor of pistachios on the palate. I noticed this after putting the cigar down momentarily. This is awesome as there is no bitterness left on the palate, only amazing flavor. The draw really opens up here in the final third, allowing even more flavor to hit the palate. The creamy vanilla and leather notes really come to the forefront now. The cigar is smooth and creamy as can be. The retro-hale is full of creamy vanilla notes, no spice. A quick minor touch up on one side of the burn, now back into the cigar. The final third is packed with consistent creamy vanilla and sweet earthy leather notes. I just sat back and relaxed, because this cigar, as Ozzy would say, “had me hypnotized!”
Cigar smoked whiskey: More creamy orange infused cherry notes are overlaid with the sweet leathery char of the cigar. Super bold, super delicious, love it!
Overall, this chocolate covered cherry Maritozzi pastry pairing is one of the best tasting… ‘quintessential’ pairings I’ve ever had.
It definitely won my heart.
Pairing competition winner!
Time to get hitched!
Mama I’m coming home!
Congratulations Cedar Ridge on 20 years!
Cheers!
Whiskey & Cigar Photography by: James Archie
