Brand Ambassador for a major whisky, Stephen Marshall teaches Aditi Sharma how to say "Cheers!" in Gaellic and the nuances of pairing the right whisky with the perfect cigar often considered two of life's greatest luxuries

Which whisky goes best with Castro's favourite cigar?

"It's the look in a person's eyes after experiencing the richness of flavours come together in a luxurious combination that makes my job so interesting," says Stephen.

The first lesson by the whisky expert involves teaching us how people back home in Scotland say, 'Cheers!'

Stephen Marshall plays the part of global ambassador for a Scotch whisky brand to the tee, dressed in the traditional Scottish kilt.

"The Gaelic word for cheers is, 'Slaandjivaa!' which means, "to good health!" First lesson learnt we move on to understanding the intricacies of pairing a particular whisky with the right cigar.

The trick, Stephen tells us, is to complement flavours. The basic rule to remember is that mild cigars work best with mild whiskies, just as strong cigars work well with signature blends.

"For someone who is trying out a combination for the first time I'd recommend pairing a Romeo y Juliet (mild Cuban cigar) with a slightly aged whisky, like a Dewar's 12 or Aberfeldy 12," says Stephen.

"The light, sweet and mild styles complement each other perfectly," elaborates Stephen, who interestingly has recently given up smoking himself but still recalls all the flavours fondly.

Keen sense of smell

Stephen has over 12 years' experience in the industry and a sense of smell that could put a sniffer dog to shame.

He is unhappy with the smell of garlic that is carried by the strong breeze from the kitchen towards the poolside. The smell will hinder the tasting session, he says.

Stephen suggests pairing a more mature whisky, like a Dewar's 18, with a Dominican cigar once a person grows more used to the two flavours.

The ultimate combination, according to Stephen, would be a Dewar's Signature (or any 21 year-old whisky) with a Cohiba (a Cuban cigar that was supplied exclusively to revolutionary leader Fidel Castro).

Tall order

Stephen is quick with a warning though, "Always choose a cigar based on your height.

If you are not too tall then look for a small cigar, if you are tall then go for a bulky cigar," he says, adding, "It doesn't work if the cigar is too big for you to smoke.
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It's all about a luxurious experience, and you don't want to be struggling with a big cigar you can barely hold."

Having explained the basics of pairing cigars with whiskies, Stephen lets us in on a secret, "Tastes are pretty subjective so the best thing to do is to keep experimenting until you find what works for you."

Tea, honey and whisky, anyone?
Stephen likes his whisky with chilled Darjeeling tea, a little honey and a sprig of mint. "It makes for a fresh, daytime drink," he says. The trick to combining different things with whisky is to get good flavours together. Tea has a strong flavour of its own that works with the whisky. Another good combination is whisky + cigar + chocolate. "Try a chocolate with more than 70% cocoa content with your whisky and cigar," he suggests. Sheer bliss!

Cigar etiquette
Always remove the label of the cigar before lighting it. Smoking a cigar with a label might give people an idea of how expensive the cigar is, and is therefore considered rather impolite.

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