5 Vegas Freedom Blend Cigar and Laproaig Triple Wood Single Malt Scotch Whisky: Review

The Scotch

Laproaig Triple Wood

(La-froyg)

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

D. Johnston & Company

Laproaig Distillery

Isle of Islay, Scotland

Laphroaig.com

48% abv

$79.99

Appearance: firm amber

Nose: a mix of sherry and a moderate peat smoke, dried fruits.  Later, after a few sips the nose is making me think of cotton candy popcorn with a sniff of honey and almond nuts. 

Flavors: the peat wraps around the sweet sherry with a touch of vanilla and a salty cashew nut.  I had to go and get a hand full of cashews.  This was a good match.  A dash of fine grind black pepper on the finish and aftertaste.   

Mouthfeel: a creamy warmth coats the palate, a fine grind black pepper – citrus feel, sweet caramel malts also linger for a long aftertaste.  Right when I thought the smoky feel faded – wham the next sip smoke. 

To the Point: This was my first tasting of this Triple Wood and I think I like it.  Looking forward to trying it again. To me this is a pretty full bodied Single Malt.  

The Cigar

5 Vegas Classic Freedom Blend

Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf

It looks like it is a maduro

The 5 Vegas Classic has a Sumatra wrapper

Fillers: I would guess that it has the same fillers as the 5 Vegas Classic which are Nicaraguan and Dominican

Size: 6.5 x 64 Salomon

I like the shaggy top and the packaging (bands). 

I bought this box last year in the month of July.  I have smoked two of them since there are missing from the box. I remember smoking the first one and it was just okay – going from memory.  Let’s see how they are doing now.

The cigar industry is confusing with its packaging.  A cigar that is labeled ‘Limited’ is on the market forever.  This cigar is not marked ‘Limited’ and from I have read is that they only made about 100 boxes (I am not sure on that) but, I have not seen them on the market since last July.   

Flavor Profile: dark roasted coffee, bitter dark chocolate, dusty soil, toasted hardwood.  This cigar is in the medium-full range.  While the mouthfeel comes across smooth for a medium-full smoke it does feel a bit dry on the palate. 

The Pairing

This cigar stands up well to this hearty Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.  The peat, salty nut, and the dusty black pepper on the finish seem to dominate the palate with each sip of the whisky and then a few puffs of the cigar seems to smooth over this notes.  The dark roasted coffee and bitter dark chocolate notes of the cigar comingle well with the sweet sherry and vanilla tones of the Laphroaig.  The peat and smoky notes of this scotch is a perfect match with this hearty cigar.