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There are many different whiskey cigar blends in a variety of categories from bourbon to scotch to choose from. Most are whiskeys that have been finished in various secondary casks to achieve a flavor that is intended to pair well with a stogie. However, one of Texas’ best craft distilleries, still Austin, does things a little differently. Tanger Cigar is the distillery’s version of the blend, but it was made using the traditional cognac method instead of cask finishing to achieve its distinctive flavor profile.
Yet Austin has been around for more than a decade, making the best bourbon and rye whiskey in the industrial part of the Texas capital. This includes the Bond series in a bottle, which launched in the spring of 2023. These seasonal releases adhere to these seasonal releases to be labeled for at least four years, exactly 100 proof, and one distillery and one distillery season’s production. From there, they vary in mashability and style, and they’ve included variations of red and blue heirloom corn in the recipe in the past.
Tangerine Cigar Blend Bourbon Whiskey is something different. This whiskey, of course, can be enjoyed without getting stuck on a cigar — part of the ritual is entirely optional — but it was made very deliberately by master blender Nancy Fraley and master distiller John Skripal. They chose a 6-year-old bourbon produced at the distillery, which is still available with some of the oldest releases to date, made from red, white, and blue corn, as well as rye and malted barley. He was given whiskey Petites eaux Cure, a term that translates to “small waters” and has its origins in the production of Cognac and Armagnac. The whiskey is decanted from its barrel and diluted to 50 proof, or 25 percent ABV, and then barreled and aged again for an additional year at this lower strength. That whiskey (or “fortified water,” as the distillery team refers to it) is then added to the final blend, with the intention of bringing “caramelized wood sugars and length to the final product lock.”
The makeup of the final blend is 53 percent blue corn bourbon, 25 percent red corn bourbon, and 22 percent white corn bourbon, and this year’s edition was bottled at 107.5 proof. Official tasting notes describe cherry jubilee, butterscotch, roasted applewood, white pepper, and fresh pecan on the palate, with marjoram, pink pepper, and black allspice. It’s still Austin’s most premium whiskey, priced at $150 per bottle, and each comes in a special box with artwork by artist Mark Burkardt and a special metal stopper. Tanger is available now at distilleries and specialty retailers nationwide, and you can find the rest of the lineup on websites like Reserve Bar.
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