I don’t usually smoke Drew Estates Kentucky Fire Cured, but my wife bought me some Kurveball BBQ whiskey, so I thought I’d try them together.

The cigar has a very smooth Colorado shade wrapper. The foot smells kind of like a greasy grill. The cold draw is perfect.

Initial notes are mostly campfire. The ash and burn look good. The whiskey, unfortunately, tastes more like KC BBQ; too sweet and the main reason I BBQ with rubs, not sauce.

The leading flavor element is charred wood. Makes sense when you think about it. Once you have gotten past the sauce aspect of the whiskey, the next draw offers more of a smokehouse flavor. The sauce element of the whiskey is still distracting, but I’m getting a smoked flavor profile from the wood notes in the smoke and a lingering aftertaste of meat.

I remain not a fan of the KFC, nor of most flavored whiskey, but I have to say that if you like the cigar, look for the whiskey.