If you're a regular whiskey drinker, you’ve likely come across a bottle or two labeled as a “cigar blend” or “cigar malt” in categories ranging from bourbon to Scotch to Irish whiskey. If you’re a cigar smoker, that term might be intriguing; if you’re not, maybe these bottles appear intimidating or even unappealing. Cigar blends have been around for about a decade in the world of American whiskey, and cigar malts can be traced back to the 1980s in Scotland. But over the past few years it seems that newer brands and distilleries are getting in on the action, releasing their own versions of this unofficial category. So what, in fact, is a cigar blend?

There is no legal definition set forth by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) that defines a cigar blend. Instead, it’s a style that producers and distilleries have created that’s meant to be paired with a cigar (although it can also be enjoyed on its own, as many brands are quick to point out). That usually comes down to blending together whiskeys that are finished in different types of casks to create something that either brings to mind notes you’d pick up from a cigar or is just supposed to pair well with the flavors that hit your palate as you puff. 

What that actually means in terms of flavor can vary wildly–some cigar blends will center around dried fruit and spice notes gleaned from a significant amount of time spent in fortified wine casks, while others veer towards the sweeter end of the spectrum after the whiskey marries with residual rum left over in barrels sourced from the Caribbean. The absence of an official set of rules means cigar blends can be eclectic and inconsistent, but that freedom also allows whiskey makers a great deal of creativity that often results in exceptional expressions, whether you’re a smoker or not.

Of course, there are some exceptions to this practice of blending different cask-finished components: the Dalmore’s Cigar Malt Reserve, for example, is not a blend, but rather a single malt whisky that has been given a secondary maturation in wine and sherry casks. And Texas distillery Still Austin created a cigar blend that derives its flavor from the French petites eaux technique of adding water to barrels of bourbon as they age to extract specific congeners from the wood.

Whiskey brands have been releasing cigar blends for many years, but this trend shows no sign of slowing down as prominent new additions have been added to this unofficial category over the past year or so. I spoke to several different brands to find out how they come up with a whiskey whose flavor profile would be perfect to enjoy while puffing on a stogie–or at least just offers a range of notes on the palate that differs from the core expression. The following list includes some notable examples of cigar blends and cigar whiskeys to try in different categories and at various price points.

Penelope Bourbon Cigar Sessions Chapter 1 American Whiskey

The debut cigar blend for Penelope Bourbon, which is owned by Indiana’s MGP Distillery under its Ross & Squibb division, is not a blend of cask-finished whiskeys. Instead, it’s a blend of different mashbills produced at MGP. “To us, the concept was simple at first,” says Penelope founder and master blender Danny Polise. “Engage masters in the craft of cigar making to gather real world feedback on the effect whiskey components have on the cigar smoking experience. We did that by working with the cigar blenders to try out all available whiskey mashbills and then using that feedback to narrow down the ingredients for a blend.” The result is a combination of straight bourbon, American single malt, and light whiskey, a recipe that Polise and his team settled on after sampling 19 different mashbills. The derived mashbill is 72 percent corn, 15 percent rye, and 13 percent malt, and the whiskey was bottled at 101 proof, yielding notes of chocolate, dried peach, tobacco, and caramel on the palate.

Old Elk Cigar Cut

Cigar Cut is part of Colorado distillery Old Elk’s Cask Finish series. The distillery, which was acquired by Ohio-based Middle West Spirits this past spring, finished this blend of six-year-old bourbon made from a high-malt mashbill in four different cask types–sherry (18 months), Armagnac (15 months), port (3-8 months), and cognac (3-6 months). “Our Cigar Cut whiskeys are a true showcase of innovation, where distinct mashbills and carefully chosen cask finishes come together to create a top-tier whiskey,” said Middle West Chief Commercial Officer Luis Gonzalez. “It’s also an opportunity to share how these elements can harmonize, enhancing and complementing each other throughout the entire drinking experience.” Look for notes of dark chocolate, dark berries, and spice on the palate.

Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon

This cigar blend comes out in batches, so it changes in terms of proof and liquid components with each release. Nancy Fraley, who was named 2024 Master Blender of the Year at the Women in Whiskey Awards, is in charge of putting together this cigar blend. The latest batch is #212 (The Piggy Bank), a blend of MGP bourbon aged for nine and 20 years and 16-year-old bourbon from Barton’s in Kentucky (no cask finish on this batch). Fraley says that this whiskey is recognized as being the first cigar blend bourbon, something that she’s very proud of. “I was able to take the techniques I learned under my mentor, tenth-generation cognac and alambic brandy maker Hubert Germain-Robin, as well as being inspired by the nearly 40-year-old tradition of French ‘cigare’ blend Cognacs, and incorporate these processes into what is now known as a Cigar Blend Bourbon,” she says. “While I personally enjoy this expression with a cigar or pipe, it’s really crafted for anyone who appreciates a bold, flavorful pour. If cigars aren’t your thing, I recommend simply enjoying it neat."

Still Austin Tanager Cigar Blend Bourbon

Fraley was also behind this cigar blend from Still Austin, a small distillery in the Texas capital that makes bourbon and rye whiskey. Like Penelope, this cigar blend is not an assemblage of cask-finished whiskeys. Instead, Tanager is a blend of the distillery’s six-year-old bourbon made from a mashbill that includes red, white, and blue corn grown in Texas. During maturation, Fraley used the petites eaux process, a French method in which water is added to the barrels while they age instead of after dumping them, a step that is supposed to increase the amount of caramelized wood sugar in the whiskey. “At Still Austin, we believe a cigar blend is simply a spirit that has been purposefully blended to pair with a cigar or pipe tobacco,” says Brand Experience Manager Jason Harry. “Nancy Fraley has led the charge on crafting Tanager and chosen to use an Old World method of blending in barrel fortified water (petites eaux) to enhance the rancio profile.”

World Whiskey Society American Light Whisky Cigar Blend Gothic Edition

This non-distilling producer crafted a unique cigar blend by using 20-year-old light whiskey that has been finished in a few different types of casks. Light whiskey is distilled to a higher proof than bourbon (up to 190 proof, which is more like vodka), and it can be aged in used or uncharred barrels. “Cask finishing is central to this release,” said WWS CEO Alex Kogan. “We used six different types of barrels to shape the whiskey’s final profile.” Specifically, those are Cognac, tawny port, awamori, tequila, PX sherry, and Madeira wine. “The goal was to build complexity through contrast, to create a whiskey with remarkable depth and cohesion after 20 years of careful aging and finishing,” he added. That lengthy age statement and complex finishing process has resulted in an interesting and rich whiskey with notes of fruit, espresso, spice, and caramel on the palate.

The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve

The Dalmore’s Cigar Malt is a single malt scotch that is initially aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in two types of casks–Cabernet Sauvignon barriques and Matusalem Oloroso sherry casks, a sweetened version of Oloroso sherry that comes from Gonzalez Byass in Jerez, Spain. A portion of the blend remains in the bourbon barrels during this secondary maturation, and then all three elements are combined to create this Cigar Malt Reserve which has notes of tropical fruits, baking spice, dark chocolate, and flamed orange peel on the palate.