It's Time for Irish Whiskey and a Lovely 162 Corona Gorda

We began our "holy day" celebrations with some Irish Whiskey, and for me, a cigar. It was a cloudy but warm enough Friday evening to kick off a St. Patrick weekend of quiet celebration at home. I grabbed the bottle of Powers John's Lane Irish Whiskey to take out to the deck.

This bottle is somewhat special to me. I brought it back from our 2012 trip to Ireland. John's Lane was the first whiskey I had in Ireland, on the recommendation of the pub bartender. While waiting in the Dublin airport this is one of the bottles I grabbed in the Duty Free shop. I didn't actually open it until we had friends over for St. Patrick's Day in 2021.

The Powers John's Lane is a 12 year whiskey produced by the prominent Irish distillery Midleton, who also brings us Redbreast, Jameson, among others. It is a proper Single Pot Still whiskey and comes in at 46% proof. The glass gives off aromas of sweet fruit and caramel. Upon sipping I get a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg. I picked up a caramelize banana in the finish, while Colleen found Apricot. Of course plenty of sweet malt and honey was present. The finish allowed the same notes to linger pleasantly on the palate. 

Powers John's Lane is a very pleasant whiskey that makes a great afternoon sipper, as it was here, but also is a delightful dessert beverage.

I selected the Lovely Cigars 162 Churchill to pair with my Irish whiskey. The cigar was part of the December Luxury Cigar Club December mailing. That means it was resting in my humidor for three months. I didn't know what to expect from the Lovely 162, as I had never heard of the brand prior to the Luxury Cigar shipment. Which is of course, one of the things I like about the subscription. There are often new brands to discover.

Lovely Cigars is a Green Bay, Wisconsin company that was founded in was founded in 2019. The name of the company pays tribute to the Ain’t They Lovely brand that produced cigars in Green Bay from the early 1900's until the about 1960. The corona vitola takes the name 162 from a progressive cigar roller union in the Green Bay area. The union offered high wages, sick benefits, and was one of the first to provide maternity benefits.

The Lovely 162 Corona Gorda is a 6 x 50 stick wrapped in an Ecuadorian Habano leaf, with a Sumatran binder and Nicuarguan filler. The milk chocolate colored wrapper has a nice oily sheen. The smoke bring a mild pepper spice along with a creamy chocolate note. The smoke remains smooth and creamy, with balanced flavors of chocolate, mild pepper spice, and a sweet caramel. Overall it was very enjoyable. The burn was even with plentiful smoke through out the hour and forty-five minute smoke.

I don't think I had opened the Powers John's Lane since last the St. Patrick Day. That's regrettable as it's quite pleasant.

Cheers!