The Benefits of Procrastination

Lately, as I’ve looked back over many of my cigar and beverage pairings, I’ve noticed an unintended trend. Many — if not most — of the cigars I’ve been enjoying recently had been resting in my humidor for at least a year, and often closer to two. That got me wondering why.

While I regularly pick up new releases that catch my interest, I don’t always get around to smoking them right away. Even after my usual month-long rest following travel, many cigars — new releases and old favorites alike — end up waiting patiently for their turn in the rotation.

As it turns out, that delay isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Several cigars I’ve smoked recently had been aging quietly for more than two years, and nearly every one has been outstanding. (I’m not talking about the truly old “special occasion” cigars that have been tucked away for sentimental reasons. Those are a different story altogether.) Time has generally been kind to these forgotten treasures.

The same phenomenon has crept into my whiskey cabinet. I’ve slowed my bourbon purchases recently, mostly because the shelves are already full. It’s time to work through a few of the older bottles before bringing home more. Whenever I post a picture showing a partially empty bottle, someone inevitably comments, “Looks like you need to replace that one.”

Unlike cigars, opened whiskey doesn’t really improve with age. But stretching a bottle over months — or even years — does have one advantage. Every revisit offers another opportunity to discover a new cigar pairing that I might have missed the first time around.

I recently came across a meme that perfectly summed up my approach to whiskey buying:

I had to laugh because it’s true.

If I’m honest, I’m generally much better at resisting a bourbon purchase than I am at walking away from a cigar shop empty-handed. In fact, I was much better at resisting cigars before I bought the large humidor. Apparently, empty space has a way of convincing you it needs to be filled.

Maybe the solution isn’t to buy fewer cigars.

Maybe I just need more shelves for whiskey.

After all, serious problems call for creative solutions.

Cheers!