I went with my friends Malcolm and Reed to Scotch and Cigar Night at the Seattle Yacht Club last Saturday. It was a beautiful evening for the event; we enjoyed four different whiskies (Macallan 18, Lagavulin 16, Talisker 10, and Cragganmore 12 year) and a nice selection of cigars (the details of which were lost in the smoke and the haze). The company was good, the steak dinner was delightful, and the wines were nice. A fine evening indeed.

There was just too much of it. Turns out that drinking too much scotch and smoking too many cigars makes for a rough Sunday morning. While I certainly enjoyed the whisky, I think the cigars put me over into the bad zone. They always seem to multiply the effect of whatever I've been drinking. One cigar is normally my limit, so of course, I had two. As usual, I felt like an ashtray in the morning. Too bad. I really do like cigars, but the effects are so horrendous that I only have a few a year.

As far as tasting notes go, I loved all four whiskies. I've already blogged about my new found love for Lagavulin as well as my long standing affection for Macallan. (The Macallan 18 is a real winner -- rich, sherried, and delicious.) I've had the Talisker a few times recently and really like the peaty, salty island flavor; it's not as pronounced as Lagavulin (and certainly not as much as Laphroiag) but it's definitely beefier than Macallan. The Cragganmore was relatively new to me. It was lovely also -- malty, clean, and medium bodied. It wasn't a great whisky with the cigars (it got outmuscled), but I think it would be lovely on it's own.

So, as with all things, cigars and scotch are to be enjoyed in moderation.