The Cigar and the Single Malt – Star-crossed lovers?

We should all welcome the reintroduction of the Dalmore Cigar Malt just because it’s a small but symbolic victory for the beleaguered smoking lobby.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not pro-smoking. I gave up smoking altogether on the birth of my second son 11 years ago almost to the day. I really don’t like being near cigarette smoke and am appalled at the selfishness of some smokers.

But there’s a more general principle here about self responsibility and I can’t help but feel the anti-smoking campaign is hitting the wrong target. If you really want to do something about health, then ban smoking in homes where there are young children and ban smoking in enclosed places such as cars. And don’t give me the argument that houses and cars are private places and legislation shouldn’t apply. Are you allowed to beat up your wife at home or throw your children down the stairs? Of course not. Call me old fashioned but giving children breathing and asthmatic problems and exposing them to the risk of cancer is pretty damn cruel to me.

Meanwhile, in a properly controlled environment, why shouldn’t an adult be allowed to enjoy a quality cigar with his glass of Cognac or malt at the end of a meal? And why shouldn’t restaurant and bar owners be able to provide an area to allow smoking if the right ventilation is in place.

In fact if this Government is serious about pushing back the nanny state then it should stop cutting red tape to make it easier for employers to sack people, and hand back some of our personal liberties instead. It should stop looking to repeal the popular ban on fox hunting and instead help the hospitality business by allowing those outlets which want to permit a limited amount of smoking. It would help the bar trade and it might even help improve health conditions for children. Fewer people would smoke in the house if they knew they could enjoy a pint and a smoke in the pub, club, or bar.

And while we’re at it, the Government should lay off the drinks trade, too. This week’s news stated that British members of Parliament wanted to advise us when we should or shouldn’t drink. Are members of parliament really best qualified to advise on this? Doctors, yes. The ‘responsible drinking’ movement is giving away too much to the anti-alcohol lobby and we should start a campaign to say enough’s enough.

Again, let’s be clear; I’m not against responsible drinking. But drinking alcohol is being pushed down the same road as smoking cigarettes. On the day that the smoking ban came in I was at a Scotch Whisky Association press event to unveil Pernod Ricard’s Richard Burrows as chairman and Diageo’s Paul Walsh as his deputy so I asked them whether they were concerned that they were giving an inch and the anti-alcohol group was taking a mile, and alcohol would end up where smoking is.

“Nobody ever said one or two cigarettes a day could be good for you,” said Walsh.

But he’s wrong. Look at the cigarette advertising campaigns of the 60s with fit and healthy young men smoking.

I’m no conservative and I’m not a liberal – with or without a capital L – but if these people really support libertarian principles and want to reduce the influence of the state in our lives, shouldn’t we be allowed to decide for ourselves if we want to smoke a cigar with our brandy or not?

Let’s end this nonsense now. Let us take charge of our lives again. As the great libertarian J.S. Mill sort of put it, we should be free to do whatever we want, as long as it doesn’t infringe on another person’s freedom.

The odd cigar with a glass of finest malt never hurt anybody. Now pass the Partagás…