Elegance & Power: H. Upmann 180th Anniversary Meets Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye

I first smoked the H. Upmann 180th Anniversary Churchill back in May. The cigar impressed me then, and I suspected it would only improve with some rest in the humidor. After nine months of humidor rest, it was time to find out.

Released in July 2024, this limited edition celebrates 180 years of the H. Upmann legacy, a brand founded in 1844 by German banker Herman Upmann in Havana, Cuba. The Churchill is an elegant 7 x 50 cigar dressed in a chocolate-hued Nicaraguan medio tiempo wrapper — a rare leaf that appears on only about two percent of plants. Typically used sparingly in filler blends, medio tiempo is prized for its concentrated strength and flavor, making it a unique choice for a wrapper. The binder and fillers are also Nicaraguan, lending further depth and character.

From the first draw, the cigar opened with rich notes of chocolate and dark raisins, soon joined by a complex medley of black coffee, pepper, and cinnamon, underpinned by a creamy fruit sweetness. Full-bodied, flavorful, and refined, it proved worthy of the 180-year milestone it commemorates.

For the pairing, I reached for Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye Whiskey, bottled at 113 proof. Knowing this would be a long smoke, I wanted a spirit that could keep pace. Introduced in July 2024, this “Bourye” blend combines 30% 9-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon with 70% 7-year-old Kentucky straight rye. On the nose, rye spice and caramel sweetness greet you, while the palate leans rye-forward — bold pepper and cinnamon backed by brown sugar and dark fruit. I’ve enjoyed it neat before and find it a hearty pour on its own.

As the cigar progressed, I noticed the whiskey’s palate-coating spice was starting to overshadow some of the cigar’s subtle sweetness. A few drops of water changed the equation. After resting a moment, the whiskey softened, allowing more fruit and brown sugar to emerge — and that’s when the pairing truly clicked.

The H. Upmann 180th Anniversary Churchill delivered nearly two hours of steady, satisfying smoke with a flawless burn that needed no touch-ups. The extra time also left room for a second pour of the Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye, making for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Cheers!

Hamlet Tabaquero and Knob Creek Rye: A Flavorful Winter Escape

For Friday evening’s deck time, I had my cigar picked out early in the day, but when it came time to choose a drink pairing, I was torn. On a whim, I reached for the Hamlet Tabaquero Toro and serendipitously paired it with the Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye. With those decisions made, I bundled up, lit the heaters, and stepped outside to enjoy the evening.

The Tabaquero line, created by renowned Cuban roller Hamlet Paredes in collaboration with Rocky Patel, has been a staple in my humidor. Back in 2022, when I learned that Hamlet Paredes was leaving Rocky Patel and the Tabaquero was being discontinued, I acted quickly and secured a box online. Two years later, I’ve smoked through half the box, and the cigar remains a favorite.

This cigar boasts a San Andrés wrapper, a blend of Nicaraguan fillers, and dual binders of San Andrés and Brazilian Mata Fina. Measuring 6x52, it’s smoothly rolled, dense, and rich in flavor. From the first draw, it delivers a creamy sweetness complemented by notes of milk chocolate, cedar, earth, and oak. While earlier sticks from this box had burn issues requiring frequent touchups (leading to some bitterness), two years of aging have transformed it into a balanced and full-bodied experience.

The Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye was a Virginia ABC pick from summer 2023. This barrel was filled on June 12, 2016, giving it a robust 6.5-year age. With a mash bill of 55% rye, 35% corn, and 10% malted barley, and bottled at a hearty 115 proof, it’s an ideal companion for a cold evening and a bold cigar.

From the rocks glass, the aroma is mild, offering hints of cocoa, vanilla, citrus, and rye spice. On the palate, it opens with flavors of butterscotch, cocoa, and dark fruit, layered with nuts and an assertive rye spiciness that lingers on the tongue. Despite its high proof and bold spice, the drink is exceptionally well-balanced and surprisingly easy to sip.

The Hamlet Tabaquero paired beautifully with the Knob Creek Rye, the boldness of the cigar harmonizing with the robust, spicy sweetness of the whiskey. Interestingly, as I was reflecting on this pairing, I discovered an earlier blog entry noting that I had enjoyed this exact combination back in March. Even subconsciously, I must have remembered how perfect this pairing is.

Cheers!

Cool Evening With Hamlet Tabaquero and Knob Creek Rye

March 1 marked the first day of "meteorological spring." The actual start of spring is still three weeks off, but the days are getting longer and warmer. The bulbs are sprouting in the garden, and the birds in the trees are active. And it's pleasant enough for a smoke on the deck. 

For this evening repast I grabbed one on my favorites, the Rocky Patel Hamlet Tabaquero, accompanied by a bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel Rye.

The Hamlet Tabaquero is from my slowly shrinking stock I purchased in September 2020 upon hearing the line was being discontinued. The 6 x 52 Toro  has a San Andrés wrapper, a Nicaraguan filler, along with San Andrés and Brazilian Mata Fina double binders. The previous ones from this box have had some minor burn issues, but after 16 months of resting, the performance has improved. The balanced flavors of creamy sweetness, milk chocolate, cedar, and oak still present themselves well. With half the box gone, it's getting more difficult to light up one, but I know the flavor will change over time, and they are great right now.

The Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye is a VA ABS pick, with a barrel date of June 13, 2016 and a selected date of January 31, 2023. I purchased the bottle in July 2023. The 6 year old rye is bottled at a respectable 115 proof. The nose is deceptively mild with cocoa, vanilla, and citrus. The proof and robust flavor profile truly shines in the sipping. I get a moderate amount of rye spice. Butterscotch, cocoa, along with some cinnamon and nuttiness join in as I roll the rye across my tongue. A spicy heat lingers for a long while in the finish.

The Tabaquero and the high proof Knob Creek Rye made for a flavorsome combination. I was pleased how neither the smoke nor the rye dominated, but instead complimented each other quite well.

Cheers!

Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye and BLTC La Madonna Negra

This pairing was made of two things I had been looking forward to trying out, so I decided to have both new additions together. The cigar had been sitting in my humidor for about six weeks, while the rye had been waiting just a week or so.

Black Label Trading Company La Madonna Negra was released recently to celebrate the company's 10th anniversary. I do enjoy BLTC cigars, and had preordered some of these from Luxury Cigar Club. Allowing the humidor time before lighting up was a test of patience.

The Knob Creek Barrel Select Rye is a VA ABC selection. It was released as part of a VA ABC picks release that happened a couple weeks ago on a Saturday morning. These events typically generate long lines of fans queuing up hours before the stores open, hoping to be one of the fortunate ones to purchase a single bottle of something. The actual stock in the individual stores is not announced until the evening before. Exhibiting their usual level of competency, VA ABC failed at posting the information for this drop until midday on Saturday. For my part, I went shooting instead. Interestingly, even the following morning, many of the stores still showed inventory of the releases from the day before. It appears Virginia bourbon fans may be tiring of treated like Pavlov's dog and being enticed to leap to the state's "bell." 

Since the Rye pick was one of the few in the list I was interested in, I stopped by my local store to grabb a bottle. The selection has a barrel date of June 12, 2016. Based on the pick date, it looks like about a 6.5 year aged rye, with a proof of 115. The rye is fairly mild on the nose, with faint cocoa, vanilla, citrus, and spice. However, it really begins to shine in the sipping. I get the expected rye spice, but at a moderate level. Butterscotch, cocoa, along with some spice and nuttiness join it. I found it well balanced, with neither the rye nor the proof taking the lead roll. I take a chance on many bottles I purchase with little foreknowledge. Sometimes I am disappointed, other times most pleased. This was the latter and a purchase I am happy I made.

After some initial tasting of the Knob Creek Select Rye, it was time to cut and light the La Madonna Negra. The Black Label Trading Company anniversary cigar was released in four vitolas. I smoked the 5 1/4 x 50 Robusto. A Connecticut broadleaf wrapper covers an Ecuadorian habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. The cigar shows off with a dark chocolate wrapper and decorative band. Immediately I am struck by the heft of the stick. A few gentles squeezes reveals this thing is packed. It's hard with no give whatsoever and almost feels like a hard rubber prop cigar.

After punching to cap, the draw is very tight but I decided to give it a go as it was. After a few minutes, I accepted that remedial action was necessary and grabbed my PerfecDraw tool. The first insertion brought out a small half inch piece of stem, which did nothing to help the draw. I repeatedly, and very carefully, continued inserting the tool to increased depths. I brought out nothing further except small bits of tobacco. Eventually the entire length of the tool was put through the cigar with only minor improvement. Never before have I used the PerfecDraw to such an extent.

With a slightly improved draw, I was at last getting some smoke and flavor. The flavor is a blend of dark chocolate, espresso, dark cherries. Some pepper and cedar sits in the background. The cigar is not as bold as I expected, coming from Black Label Trading Company. I am not sure if that's the intent, or a factor of the tight draw. The burn was even and never went out, but I did apply a flame to it occasionally when it wavered and threatened to go out. In the last third or so, the draw opened up a bit, but never got to what seemed like its full potential. I will look forward to smoking more of the cigars after they've rested for more time in the humidor. As this is a new release, I suspect the shipments went out from resellers nearly fresh off the shipping trucks.

The cigar finished, I poured myself a wee bit more of the Knob Creek. I will certainly be enjoying this bottle -- while it lasts.

Cheers!

Father's Day Padrón and Knob Creek

We had "other than Father's Day" plans for Sunday, scheduled by a group we will travel with this fall. So my main Father's Day treat was had on Saturday. The first order of business for the day though was a visit to the hardware store for some screen door parts and plants to brighten the deck, and the subsequent chores that trip facilitated. It was late afternoon when we settled in to enjoy drinks and conversation.

Side thought: Why do so many organizations think nothing of scheduling non-related events or meetings on Father's Day? To do so on Mother's Day is generally unthinkable.

Colleen asked for an Old Fashioned which I prepared using Four Roses Single Barrel this time. The celebratory cigar had been decided upon in advance -- Padrón Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro. My bourbon selection required careful perusing of the shelves, before I finally picked the Knob Creek 12 Year Bourbon. 

The Padrón cigar was an indulgence well worth the price of admission. The 6" x 52 Nicaraguan puro features a chocolate brown, toothy wrapper. The cigar has an extreme box-pressed shape with very sharp corners. Even the three bands when removed kept their rectangular shape. This particular stick seemed be a looser pack than usual but the cigar kept a razor sharp burn line and stayed well lit through its entirety. Indeed I enjoyed it right down to the finger-threatening nub, after about 70 minutes of smoking time.

Padrón Family Reserve Maduro is a full-strength, full-bodied cigar. It kicks off with hefty spice, but that's quickly moderated by the rich notes of creamy chocolate, espresso, and caramel sweetness.  My sinuses rarely ever detect the flavors in the retrohale which so many cigar reviewers seem to prize. This was one of the few cigars that I have ever detected any spice in the retrohale. The flavors remain rich and consistent, with that underlying pepper spice remaining, but no bitterness, right to the end. 

The bottle of Knob Creek 12 Year Bourbon was one I happened to see at a VA ABC allocated drop last year. I've enjoyed it often. At 100 proof it's easy to sip and full of bourbon goodness. It certainly made a fitting pairing for the cigar. Rich notes of oak, vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon great the palate. The flavor profile is creamy with little heat and a long mouth coating finish. I found myself taking repeated sips at a quick pace as it was such an enjoyable libation. Of course the cigar was long enough to support a refill of my glass.

Besides the aforementioned Old Fashioned Colleen was enjoying, our celebration included homemade Orange Rosemary Shortbreads. These were one of the treats Colleen prepared for a gathering of friends a couple nights prior. Sadly there were only a couple left to enjoy. The savory citrus delights, traditionally served with afternoon tea, made an exceptional partnership with the bourbon, both served neat and as a cocktail. 

The afternoon weather could not have been anymore pleasant. The temperature in the mid-80's, low humidity, and a slight breeze had us sitting on the deck well past finishing both the cigar and the drinks. Enjoying the late afternoon and evening with a fine cigar, good drink, and the company of the woman who made me a father, was the perfect way to celebrate the occasion.

Cheers!