Rocky Patel Disciple With Peerless Bourbon

After a small Good Friday dinner, I settled in with a good cigar and a wee sip of bourbon to assuage my desire for a filling dessert. I honed in quickly on the Rocky Patel Disciple. The Peerless Small Batch Bourbon was a bottle I grabbed in Florida last fall, but had not explored very much.

The Rocky Patel Disciple is a cigar I've enjoyed many times, in both Robusto and Toro vitolas. This 6 x 50 Toro has been sitting in my humidor since October. Once the large marketing swag is removed, the cigar shows off a chocolate brown San Andrés wrapper leaf. The oily wrapper encases Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The Disciple is a medium to full bodied, richly flavored smoke. Initially there are notes of espresso and dark cocoa. Soon black pepper and raisons join the mix. Smoke production seems a bit on the light side, but the flavor is still robust. The burn is even throughout the 75 minute smoke.  

This Peerless Small Batch Bourbon is labeled at 115.4 proof. That's a little higher than some bottles I've seen online, which hover around 110 proof. There is alcohol on the nose, along with cinnamon and sweet caramel. Still, the bourbon has a mild aroma, especially for the proof.

Upon sipping, the caramel remains, along with other sweet notes of butterscotch and brown sugar. A pleasing addition of dark cherry comes in at the end. The finish is soft and short.

Overall, I found the Peerless Small Batch Bourbon to be a pleasing sipper. It was balanced and mellow. I think the higher proof gave it a bit of strength to stand on, but did not seem "proofy" at all. The pairing with the Rocky Patel worked, with the cigar holding the edge. I'll certainly enjoy both again in the future.

Cheers!