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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 meant to pair well with a stogie. However, one of Texas’s best craft distilleries, Still Austin, does things a little differently. Tanager is the distillery’s version of a cigar blend, but it was made using a traditional Cognac method instead of a cask finish to achieve its particular flavor profile.
Still Austin has been around for over a decade, making excellent bourbon and rye whiskey in an industrial part of the capital of Texas. That includes the Bottled in Bond series, which launched in the spring of 2023. These seasonal releases follow the guidelines to be labeled as BIB—at least four years old, exactly 100 proof, and the product of one distillery and one distillation season. From there, they vary in terms of mashbill and style, and have included red and blue heirloom corn varietals in the recipe in the past.
Tanager Cigar Blend Bourbon Whiskey is something very different. This whiskey can, of course, be enjoyed without puffing on a cigar—that part of the ritual is completely optional—but it was made very intentionally by master blender Nancy Fraley and master distiller John Schrepel. They selected 6-year-old bourbon produced at the distillery, which is up there with some of its oldest releases to date, made from a mashbill of red, white, and blue corn as well as rye and malted barley. That whiskey was given the petites eaux treatment, a term that translates to “small waters” and originates in Cognac And Armagnac production. The whiskey is dumped from its barrels and diluted down to 50 proof, or 25 percent ABV, and then re-barreled and aged for an additional year at that low 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 palate of the final product.”
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. The official tasting notes describe cherries jubilee, butterscotch, roasted applewood, white pepper, and fresh pecan on the palate, with marjoram, pink peppercorn, and black cardamom on the finish. This is the most premium Still Austin whiskey, priced at $150 per bottle, and each comes in a special box with artwork by artist Marc Burkhardt and a special metal stopper. Tanager is available at the distillery and specialty retailers around the country now, and you can find the rest of the lineup at websites like ReserveBar.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker