As we are moving on our journey, of speaking aka interviewing the great personas on Instagram, everyday people who share their passion for the finer things in life, and by finer I am obviously referring to Whisky, we take a step and just want to say we are downright thankful for all of you. For the most part most of the people we reached out to, for this interview was humbling and passionate and shared their story with us. The man below is DayDrammer and for his own personal preference asks to remain anonymous. We will refer to him by the letter “J” throughout the interview. J shares his love of fine whisky and cigars with us.
I recently myself began to get excited for whisky and cigars, but have yet to find a way to match the pairing so the taste of both lines up so well. It was thanks to J’s interview that I now understand that my premise for finding the “perfect pairing” has been incorrect all along.
It’s not about the perfect pairing, and J says it best with this statement.
“Cigar smoking and whisky drinking is a lifestyle that encourages relaxation, reflection, and camaraderie” – DayDrammer
So let’s sit back and enjoy the ride. Read an exciting story below.
Hey man, so let’s just get into this. tell us a little about yourself, and are you involved directly in the spirits industry, or is this more of a hobby for you?
J: What’s going on brother. I get asked that question a lot actually when I really get into conversations with people about scotch and the answer is no, I’m not in the spirits industry, although I do have some close friends that are. I’m just a regular guy, living the dream, one dram at a time. As soon as I got bit by the scotch bug, I started collecting and tasting as many drams as I could get my hands on and my passion for the water of life still continues.
Do you remember your first whisk(e)y? Was it love at first sip. Give us a little playback on that experience.
J: My first whisky was a Johnnie Walker, because hey, that’s what my dad drank when I was growing up. He always had some Johnnie Black stocked at home. For special occasions with his close friends, he brought out the Blue Label. Love at first sip? I wouldn’t say so, mostly because I was underaged at the time (14yrs old) and had more of a palate for sodas and candy than whisky. My dad gave me a sip of Black Label because he thought it would be a funny way to deter me from drinking in high school. I thought it was gross at the time and his strategy worked for the most part. I really didn’t start drinking whisky for enjoyment until after college. The Jameson and Crown Royal shots during college weren’t always enjoyed, if you know what I mean.
Your Instagram account features posts of cigars and whisky. Have you always followed a nice full body cigar with a dram of whisky, or vice versa, or did you start off with one and then add the other.
J: I was definitely more of a scotch guy first. It wasn’t until 2010 or so that I was introduced to Cuban cigars at my club and picked up the hobby. I dove head first into cigars, and they became a natural pairing with my scotches. Now, it’s hard not to have one without the other, especially because most of my close friends are passionate about both.
What do you think is so special about smoking a nice cigar and drinking a great dram of whisky. How does the whisky complement the cigar?
J: When you don’t have to be anywhere for an hour or two, there’s really nothing like a good dram and cigar with friends (or by yourself!) to really slow time down and appreciate how good life can be. All you have to focus on is the moment and just enjoying the company and conversation of the people around you. Cigar smoking and whisky drinking is a lifestyle that encourages relaxation, reflection, and camaraderie. What more can you really ask for among good friends?
How does whisky complement a cigar?
J: Well, some of the same adjectives could apply to describing both I guess – rich, spicy, bold, chocolaty, velvety, smoky etc. I typically like pairing Highlands and Islays with my cigars. To each their own of course, but I enjoy how the stewed fruit richness and smoky boldness of certain scotches from those regions pair well with the richness and nutty or cocoa creaminess of certain cigars. But hey, if you like the whisky, and you like the cigar, there’s really no wrong way to do a pairing as long as you enjoy yourself.
We define an Instagram influencer as someone who not only has a good following of users, but also exhibits a lot of interactions on their account between themselves and their followers. Do you consider yourself a whisky influencer or a cigar aficionado, or a healthy mix of both perhaps.
J: I consider myself a passionate consumer. I’m thankful for all my followers and how engaged many of them are with our shared passions for cigars and scotches. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an influencer or aficionado, but I do know what I like and enjoy sharing it on IG. Like many of my followers, we’re in this discovery journey together. I learn from many of them as much as they do from me. It’s fun to be along for the ride with some really awesome like-minded people that share your passion. I’ve made some pretty good friends from both whisky and cigar communities to learn from and interact with. It’s the community that’s the influencer as we all evolve and grow together.
What has been the best cigar/whisky combination you’ve ever had. What made that moment stand out so much in your mind.
J: There’s been so many that it’s hard to choose just one, but one of the best memories I’ve had was a special dinner hosted by The Last Drop on the penthouse floor of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, also known as the Kennedy Suite. We had panoramic views of the city while we dined on a special menu with each course specifically paired with every expression The Last Drop released. Some of these scotches were over 50 years old and many retailed for over $4,000 a bottle! To say it was incredible is an understatement. After dinner I shared a few sticks of the Cohiba 1966 Cuban cigar, probably some of the best sticks I own, with my closest friends and we smoked on the balcony of the suite John F Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe supposedly frequented to have their affairs. We were even offered some additional Cuban cigars from the hosts seen below. Pretty awesome night.
Seeing your Instagram, its easy to tell you’ve had some amazing, even hard to find drams. Based on that give us your top 5 list of best drams ever consumed.
J:
1). The Last Drop 50yr (Scotch)
2). Highland Park 50yr
3). Glenmorangie Pride 1981
4). Lagavulin 37
5). Prohibition-era “medicinal” bourbon distilled in 1915
#5 was more about drinking a piece of history versus being one of my actual favorites but it makes the list for being the oldest bottling I’ve ever had. It also earned extra points for not making me go blind!
If we were to ask you for some tips and tricks of the trade, to post the best photo on Instagram, what advice would you give us. Maybe its the lighting, or the angle, maybe its of the positioning of the props or just a spontaneous about moment.
J: I take all my photos with an iPhone so editing your photos is key on the app. Play around with the different settings and build your own style. It takes some time and your style will evolve. Just have fun with it, but don’t forget to put the phone down and enjoy the moment too. Even the greatest photo will never do an amazing experience true justice.
I would imagine you have some special drams tucked away that are not seeing any light of day. Would you be able to give us a jealous sneak peak at what you got?
J: Follow me and stay tuned… everyday is a new adventure! I’m constantly looking for new drams to try and rare bottles to enjoy. Definitely a few gems in the collection I haven’t popped open yet.
If we were someone new to the cigars and whisky pairing game, what advice would you give us to ease into it, so the transition is both enjoyable and fun?
J: Someone once asked me how I got to know so much about scotch and cigars… the answer is easy. I just drank a lot of scotch and smoked a lot of cigars! There’s no secret to finding your favorite pairing. You just have to experiment and that’s half the fun. You can consult with others that know more than you do and they can help narrow your search for an ideal cigar and scotch that fits your palate, but at the end of the day, it’s the cigar you choose and dram that’s special to you that will give you the most enjoyment (not what someone else tells you is good). It takes time, but that’s really what life is about. Not being in a rush and really enjoying what’s in front of you. Enjoy the discovery process and share with your friends. You’ll find your perfect pairing eventually, and even if you don’t right away, you’ll still have some amazing times with your friends.
If you could drink only one whisky and smoke only one cigar for the rest of you life, what would it be?
J: Great question! Only one?! That would be brutal! I like variety and will likely get bored eventually. But if I had to choose, Glenmorangie Pride 1981 and Partagas Serie D4.
We want to thank you for taking the time. Is there anything else you’d like to add that we did not ask? Feel free!
J: Thank you for the feature! Feel free to reach out to me with any other questions. I’m more than happy to share my passion of scotch and cigars with others. If you ever find yourself in the San Francisco Bay Area, let’s grab a dram and cigar!
