Dramz Whisky Bar and lounge hosted a two-day festival showcasing an array of finest whiskies paired with cigars across the world, leaving the connoisseurs of the capital asking for more. By Devi Singh
There are a few things you can think of in life which can whet and sate your appetite in equal proportions, epitomising sophistication and delectation at the same time. Out of which is the espousal of whisky and cigars. So what is it with the enticing union of these twoIJ They both stand for their age, refinement, elegance and discernment inducing a sense of certain enviable luxury. And the same could be seen at the recently concluded whisky and cigar festival, ‘Indulge’ at Dramz.
The one of its kind fest was apparently India’s first. Speaking on the idea behind the same, Sunil Aggarwal, owner of Dramz said, “I always wanted to have something like this. I was only looking for an opportune time to go about it. I got the inspiration for the fest from my visits to Whisky lives at Singapore, New York and I felt that I wanted to do something on the similar lines which would bring people related with production and consumption of high end whiskies together.”
On clubbing together whisky with cigar he elaborated, “They make for a good lifestyle combination.” The contemplation of partnering with The Smoke Company transpired on one of his meetings with Ashish Bhasin where he shared the idea of ‘Indulge’ and that’s how they embarked on the project.
With 46 labels of whiskies from eight distilleries, the patrons and the cubs relished and reveled alike at the event which will be turned into an annual affair soon. “I’m already planning for the next episode of ‘Indulge’. I would want to take the festival in other cities in the country as well making it not just experiential but educational as well,” said Aggarwal.
From the likes of Glenfiddich to Glenlivet, Chivas Regal, Old Pulteney, Cardhu, Tomatin there was no dearth of tastings and samplings. The cigars which were paired along with the various labels of whiskies, were Padron, Campessino, Gurkha, Palmar Arriba to name a few.
Elaborating on his shared passion with Aggarwal to unravel something novel for whisky and cigar lovers in the country, Bhasin shared how they were keen to bring in the best malts and complimenting them with exceptional cigars from the world over. He also stressed on the fact that India is not much of a cigar country and how it’s important to make people aware about the same. “Indians love their whisky but what they don’t know is that cigars go really well with it and I want to promote the same.
Besides in India, there’s some sort of fixation with Cuban cigars as majority of people do not know that there’s a world of premium cigars from other countries as well. This festival was an opportunity where I got to showcase the cigars I’ve been collecting over the years from around the world. This is just a precursor to something big that we plan to do in future.” said Ashish Bhasin, CEO, The Smoke Company.
Talking about his interest in cigars he said, “I got intrigued by cigars almost 14 years back when I smoked my first at a conference in Singapore. Cigar smoking is like seduction and one cannot but succumb to it. When I moved to India a few years back, I wanted to source my smokes but could not find a place where I could get what I wanted; so on my travels I started collecting cigars from duty free, shamelessly asked friends travelling overseas to buy me cigars and from that stemmed an idea to setup a company that would soon start importing cigars and be a full time venture.”
There are individual preferences when it comes to pairing up cigars with whisky ranging from powerful blend with a mix of intense spice and smoke to a mild combination that brings out the smoothness and age.
Explaining the nuances of smoking a cigar from a cigarette Bhasin said, “Beauty of cigar smoking lies in one’s willingness to shift loyalty from a brand. You have to be ready to experience more brands and continue to train your palate. I have been a non conformist when it comes to cigars and usually try cigars from all over the world other than Cuba especially from Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Italy, Costa Rica, Germany, Mexico which are an ace up to the Cubans.”
“Whisky and cigar festival is an effort to build a template of indulgence to the finer things when it comes to your tipple and smokes; we are collaborating with the best brands in the world to explore India as a market and give an optimum lifestyle quotient to the discerning malt and cigar lovers in the country,” said Bhasin.
The affair not only included some of the best malts and blends with cigars but also had an insipid spread which could be disregarded only because of the quaint Qutub Minar keeping the hedonists indulged in their respective debauchery.