Gurkha Cigars has partnered with Kentucky-based Hartfield & Company for a new line of bourbon-infused cigars, the Gurkha Bourbon Collection.

The company isn’t disclosing specific details about the blend, other than that two wrappers are being used for the project. The Churchill vitola (7 x 47, $12) uses a maduro wrapper from an undisclosed country, while the Toro (6 1/2 x 52, $10) uses a natural wrapper, again from an undisclosed origin. The company is hailing them as medium-bodied with richness from the bourbon infusion and a balanced and complex profile.

Gurkha Hartfield and Company

“There is no better marriage than pairing Gurkha’s premium leaf with Kentucky’s own Hartfield & Company’s small-batch bourbon,” said Kaizad Hansotia, founder and ceo of Gurkha Cigars. “This union provides an incredible sensory experience that releases the rich taste of the leaf and the smoothness of their handcrafted bourbon like no other. We’re excited to announce our collaboration with Hartfield & Company and launch our new cigars at this year’s IPCPR show.”

“When thinking about what Gurkha has meant to the cigar community for decades, it was incredibly humbling when they asked us, a new craft distillery, to join them in this partnership,” said Andrew Buchanan, founder and head distiller at Hartfield & Company. “Combining the legacy of Gurkha Cigars with our handcrafted bourbon made in Bourbon County, KY, was simply too incredible to pass up. In creating our bourbon, we focused on the complexity of the flavor and the experience we wanted when we sat down with a glass of bourbon. A fine cigar company does much the same thing. With two expertly crafted products combined into one, you have the chance to broaden the flavor profile and enhance the overall experience. Partnering with Gurkha Cigars seemed to be a very natural fit.”

According to a press release from Gurkha Cigars, Hartfield & Company is the first distillery to open in Bourbon County, KY, since 1919. It was founded in 2014 by Andrew and Larissa Buchanan, and is the first distillery to reestablish itself in the birthplace of Bourbon.

“Our Bourbon Whiskey brings together the flavors of corn and rye, both of which are Kentucky sourced, and malted barley that creates a grain-forward, balanced bourbon,” said Buchanan. “Caramel, vanilla and oak are all present. They combine with smoke and leather from the barley, pepper from the rye and sweetness from the corn that results in a new style of bourbon from the home of bourbon: Bourbon County, Ken.”

Image via Hartfield & Co.’s Facebook page.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.