Background

Going to get right into it because both of these selections have pretty fantastic stories. Let’s start with La Pareja Perfecta (the perfect pair), which was picked by W. Curtis Draper, a historic DC cigar shop, in collaboration with Gran Habano Cigars for W. Curtis Draper’s annual “Little Puff” charity event. Together, they picked this port finished bourbon with George A. Rico, a master cigar blender with over 27 years of experience. The bourbon was finished in the port barrel for about 4.5 of its 7.5 total years aging, which is an exceptionally long amount of time and more typical of what you’d see with a Scotch than a Bourbon. George Rico worked closely with the Laws pick team to ensure that the blend of the cigar perfectly matched the flavor profile of the whiskey barrel pick. The blend of the cigar consists of a Nicaraguan Shade-Grown wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler from Nicaragua and Peru.

As for “It Goes to 11”, this selection by Cinder BBQ was distilled in Year 1 of Laws operations by Al Laws himself. It was then aged for 11 years before Cinder and Al tasted and decided it was the perfect time for it to be bottled. Due to the double digit time spent aging, the yield was under 100 bottles. A good chunk of that yield went to the inaugural cohort of Cinder’s Whiskey Club, with only a few bottles being sold out of Cinder's bottle shop.

Laws Straight Bourbon finished in Port Cask “La Pareja Perfecta” Pick (7 Years, 110 Proof)

Nose: Date syrup and cherry cordial- it just punches you in the face with an overwhelming amount of syrupy dark red fruits.

Palate: The palate delivers on what the nose promises, rich and syrupy texture. Honey, more dates, dark chocolate, cinnamon sugar and graham crackers.

Finish: Cherry cola, anise, some more cinnamon... and then it seems incongruous but I get a bit of a muddled mint note as well.

Great (7/10)

Overall: Unsurprisingly given the length of the port finish, a whole lotta port influence happening here! I love port, so naturally I love this. It's rich, juicy and a syrupy delight on the palate. While this review focuses purely on the whiskey itself, it’s also worth noting that to this amateur cigar smoker it indeed pairs perfectly with its cigar counterpart. The sweet, syrupy mouthfeel blends wonderfully with some spice from the smoke. But that 's as close as I’ll get to even attempting to review or describe the cigar, it is far from my area of expertise.

I also want to quickly preempt questions about age statements that inevitably arise when finishes this long are discussed. A quick reminder that in 2020, the [TTB clarified that secondary barrel finishes count towards age statements. For anyone interested, it’s covered in the “Distilled Spirits Issues” section, item #8 “Age Statements” here.

Laws Straight Bourbon “It Goes Up to 11” Cinder BBQ Pick (11 Years, 124.4 Proof)

Nose: Sour cherries, chocolate teddy grahams and mulled wine or maybe a chai tea. There’s a touch of herbal notes going on.

Palate: Rich toffee, more sour cherries and mulling spices- cloves, anise and nutmeg. The oak from the age comes through as well, lending a heft to palate with dark burnt wood notes.

Finish: Tart berries, dry (but not too dry) oak, and some burnt sugar. The note that lingers the longest is cinnamon red hot candies.

Great to Excellent (7.5/10)

Overall: What’s wild is that every time I open this bottle the aromas just hit you. It’s got an incredible nose. The age really shows on the palate and the finish, with the sip showing dark red fruits and almost a wood varnish note. A nice long, spicy and tannic finish brings us home nicely. This is a complex and impressive pour, a delicious pick that leaves me excited to taste more upper age statement products from Laws. Congrats to Cinder as well for a delicious selection.