“Smoke Great Cigars & Tell Tall Tales”
~ Lure Cigars
The Cigar
For over thirty years, Lou Cross III enjoyed the privilege of smoking cigars with his Father, Lou Cross Jr., who was an avid fisherman. “Growing up, I was blessed to have a small pond behind the house, and a 14′ john boat with an underpowered trolling motor. Weather permitting, we’d often head out at dawn, tackle boxes full of colorful gear, and several rods rigged and ready to go. After a bit, dad would cut the motor, and the boat would drift with the wind for a few casts. As the sun rose, we settled in the shade along the shoreline and the ritual of sipping & smoking would commence.”
After his Father’s passing in June 2023, Lou Cross III “created Lure Cigars as a way to remember some of the best times shared with him and to encourage others to make time to … Smoke Great Cigars & Tell Tall Tales.” What an amazing way to honor such an incredible man. I implore all you cigar enthusiasts to get behind Lou and his awesome new Lure Cigars, because in my humble opinion, Nicaragua is producing some of the best tobacco in the industry. So Lou’s cigars, in collaboration with Raymond Pages, are undoubtedly the next best thing to hit the market.
This ‘Jolly Walleye’ expression is packed with awesome Nicaraguan tobaccos from Ometepe, Jalapa, and Estelí. So I expect a nice kick of Nicaraguan spice balanced by bold sweet flavors of cocoa and leather from this blend. We’ll definitely need a high proof but balanced whisky to pair with it.
Learn more about Lou, his awesome Father, Lou Cross Jr., and the entire line of Lure Cigars, like his new ‘Oscuro’ cigar, ‘The Big Lou,’ ‘The Tally Allie,’ ‘The Holy Colie,’ and ‘The Last Cast,’ at LureCigars.com.
The Whisky
Enter Scotland’s Jack Breslin and his 59.1% ‘Thunderstruck’ 7 year Oloroso Sherry expression, from The Auchroisk Distillery. Jack hand picked this whisky from two barrels and bottled it for his Uncharted Whisky brand. “Uncharted Whisky Co., an independent bottler nestled amidst the rolling hills of Scotland, invites you to embark on a captivating exploration of the finest single malt Scotch whisky. Uncharted seeks out exceptional casks from Scotland’s renowned distilleries, each brimming with untapped potential. Their curated collection unveils a treasure trove of limited-edition expressions, showcasing the diverse terroirs and distilling traditions that shape Scotland’s liquid gold.”
Here we have another unique and exclusive bottle from TheWhiskeyLab.Com crew of independent bottlers. Located in Banffshire, Speyside, Scotland, The Auchroisk Distillery is known for being one of the main malts used for the Justerini & Brooks blend, famously known as J&B. So to experience a rare single malt from Auchroisk is pretty spectacular. I am absolutely loving the access to these uncommon distilleries and new single malt whisky experiences that The Whiskey Lab is providing us whisky nuts. Cheers to Jay Roberts, Jack Breslin, and the rest of The Whiskey Lab team.
Tasting Notes From: TheWhiskeyLab.com
Nose: An un-ashamed sherry bomb. Oloroso sherry leaps out the glass chased by the cask strength tingle. Deep sticky toffee, Nutellla, brown sugar, leather and cigar box.
Palate: Mature at first; new leather, Christmas pudding and vanilla ice cream, with a long tingling spice, chocolate and cinnamon Danish pastries on the finish.
*A touch of water brings the caramel and toffee chocolate box to life.
“The Whiskey Lab is built on a vibrant, diverse community of open-minded enthusiasts coming together to share their passion, exchange stories, deepen connections and discover together.” ~TheWhiskeyLab.Com
The Jolly Walleye
Produced By: Tabacalera Pages (Raymond Pages) in Estelí, Nicaragua
Blended By: Lou Cross III, Lure Cigars
Vitola: Robusto Extra 5.5″ x 52
Tripa (Filler): Nicaraguan tobaccos from Ometepe, Jalapa, and Estelí
Capa (Wrapper): Premium Grade A Habano 2000
Capote (Binder): Ometepe, Nicaragua
Body: Medium Plus
Price: $15
Visual/Pre-light Draw
We have an extremely smooth, extremely oily, and shiny brownie shade Habano wrapper. The construction appears perfect and very Cubanesque, smooth and tight. The green white and red band depicts a cool fishing lure over the brand name “Lure Cigars,” with a secondary band for the cigar’s name: “The Jolly Walleye.” There is no spice when prepping the cigar’s head for a nice straight guillotine cut, to maximize the blend’s delivery of flavor to the palate.
The side sniff is one dimensional, in a good way, it is simply the freshest odor of fresh hay. The dry foot odor is moist with nice hints of minty milk chocolate over that fresh hay odor, while the dry draw has the boldest notes of oats and raisin bran cereal.
I think I’ll take the bait!
First Third
Creamy pistachios over sweet melon and gingerbread notes on the foot smoke odor. This is the most complex foot smoke odor I’ve experienced on a cigar. Definitely getting sweet honied graham cracker notes overlaid with notes of sweet hazelnut coffee creamer, light wood spice, and a hint of milk chocolate on the finish. The first third of the cigar is super complex, and super delicious. I get a sweet chocolatey, woody, and leathery medium spice on the retro-hale as well, which seems a bit intense, but I anticipate it will settle down. The cigar definitely has some cinnamon kick to it no doubt, with a nice medium tight draw that balances out the delivery of that kick to the palate. Kyle Jesso from The Great Cigar and Pipe Show said the cigar takes him to a mall food court for that must have Cinnabon.
I’m hooked!
Cigar to whisky: Intense and creamy sherry covered in dark chocolate. The higher 59.1% ABV is overpowering the cigar a bit so I added some water to the whisky.
I just found the honey hole!
Second Third
Chocolate starts to dominate the blend. The cigar becomes sweeter and creamier, a much easier smoking cigar in the second third here. Those wood notes also reappear but without the spicy kick. The retro-hale has settled a bit with bolder creamier notes of cattlehide saddle leather.
This is definitely not a catch and release situation!
Whisky to cigar: Sweet sherry notes turn to roasted leathery smores once the cigar notes are added. This is a very unique ‘unusually awesome’ result and I absolutely love it.
This direction of the pairing brings the smoker directly to the campfire, at Lake Carolyn in Tallahassee, Florida. Lou Cross Jr. would be proud, as this is the perfect pairing for “Huntin’, Fishin’, And Lovin’ Everyday” by Luke Bryan:
Final Third
“Come along with me” because this cigar just fits the whisky sippin’ ‘alfresco’ lifestyle. Yes I just got a little Italian with it. Those creamy and sweet leathery notes start to dominate the experience here. This is a very straight forward final third, in terms of its consistent chocolate infused woody tobacco notes, which introduces the smoker to the Cross family’s carefree and outdoorsy lifestyle. The retro-hale has completely settled down to even creamier notes of that awesome saddle leather.
Bingo! We have a leather bomb smoke, my favorite type of cigar.
I simply sat back and enjoyed the remainder of the cigar’s last cast.
Cigar smoked whisky: We get a nice and perfectly charred chocolate covered sherry explosion of flavor on the palate, mine of which has reached its bag limit of flavor.
Overall, the pairing ‘lures’ the smoker directly to the campfire, in the middle of the woods, for a moment of peace and relaxation.
It’s the perfect balance of America’s countryside meets Scotland, and I’m…
‘Thunderstruck!’
Acknowledgment & Live Pairing
Thank you Jack Breslin, Lou Cross III, and Tara Senato for joining The Great Cigar & Pipe Show Crew. We had an amazing time discovering and pairing these amazing new brands:
Cheers to Mr. Lou Cross Jr. (June 1, 1933 – June 27, 2023). We’ll smoke and enjoy these amazing Lure Cigars, in your honor, as we celebrate a life well lived.
Whisky & Cigar Photography by: James Archie
