Smoke and Spice: Noble Act Two with Rabble Rouser Rye

This past weekend brought a welcome taste of fall. After weeks of oppressive heat and seemingly endless rain, we were treated to dry, sunny days with temperatures hovering in the mid-70s — perfect weather for an evening on the deck.

For the occasion, I reached for a cigar I’ve mentioned before: the Noble Cigars Act Two. Noble Cigars, founded in 2022, currently offers three lines — Act One, Act Two, and Intermission — each in a 6 x 52 Toro format. Of the three, I’ve only smoked the Act Two, and it continues to impress.

The Act Two features an exquisitely smooth, dark brown Mexican San Andrés wrapper, with Dominican binder and filler. Noble classifies the blend as a full-bodied “Doble Ligero,” and this particular cigar had been aging in my humidor for fourteen months.

Construction and performance were flawless — as has been my experience with every Act Two I’ve smoked. The cigar burned slow and even for nearly two hours, producing a solid white ash , speckled with white mineral dots — a sign of well-cured, high-quality tobacco.

For the evening’s “sip and smoke,” I paired the cigar with Catoctin Creek Rabble Rouser Rye. This Virginia-based distillery, founded in 2009 in Purcellville, honors its founders’ Scottish heritage by using the “whisky” spelling.

Rabble Rouser Rye is distilled from 100% rye, aged for six years, and bottled in bond at 100 proof. It pours a rich red-amber and offers bold aromas of fruit, honey, and rye spice. The palate delivers candied fruit, caramel, tobacco, and a touch of pepper, finishing long and warm with lingering spice. It’s one of my favorite ryes to sip neat — and also shines in a Rye Old Fashioned.

Though it’s traditionally released each February, I try to secure a bottle every year before it sells out. While it’s a lottery-only item in Virginia ABC stores, it’s been easier to find lately through the Catoctin Creek website.

The pairing of the Rabble Rouser Rye and Noble Act Two delivered a remarkable experience. The cigar’s sweetness and spice played beautifully with the rye’s rich, fruity complexity. While I typically prefer to experiment with new combinations, this pairing is one I’d happily revisit.

Cheers!