I’m from Portland, Oregon, currently living in New York City with my wife, Catherine. Catherine’s family lives in Fairfax, Virginia, and we make a few trips down there a year to see family. I had complained a few times at how I hadn’t been able to try many of Virginia’s many whiskey distilleries. One of my brothers in law heard and bought me this bottle of Kopper Kettle Whiskey for Christmas, a gift which I was grateful for on Christmas day and have become more grateful for after coming to the conclusion that the folks at Belmont Farm really know what they’re doing with their whiskey.
Still, Kopper Kettle remains a largely unknown whiskey around the country, so I figured I’d put together a review of my experience of this bottle.
Here’s what the Belmont Farm website has to say about Kopper Kettle Whiskey:
The first in our Kopper Kettle line, our Virginia Whiskey is a unique product with many fans. Its starts off as a 3 grain whiskey and then soaks for 2 months with charred Virginia white oak and Virginia apple wood. Then we age it 4 years in oak barrels. Many of our customers enjoy it neat or with a splash of water for a beautiful, relaxing, sipping whiskey. However you choose to drink it, join the thousands that prefer it to all other aged whiskies.
For any distillery, that last part is a bit of a gutsy claim. So let’s get to the review and find out what this whiskey is made of (literally and figuratively).
Kopper Kettle Virginia Whiskey Review
Product Specs
Distiller: Belmont Farm
Mash Bill: “Three Grain”
Aged in: Virginia White Oak / Virginia Apple Wood
Age: 4+ years
ABV: 43% (86 proof)
Price: ~$30
Appearance
Kopper Kettle Whiskey is presented in an understated bottle. It compares very favorably to the dark, loud bottle the whiskey was packaged in a few years ago. For myself, I’m in love with it. I really appreciate the raised copper insignia on the bottle and how its color matches the whiskey almost perfectly.
As far as what’s in the bottle, I’m afraid my camera didn’t quite capture the color as faithfully as I’d like. It’s a few shades lighter in reality (a bit more yellow than orange).
Nose
A moderate amount of ethanol burn, along with aromas of bread, oak strips, vanilla, and orange zest.
Palate
Extremely smooth on entry. Light, sweet, and very round, with bananas, honeyed bread, oak, and vanilla.
Finish
Moderate in length, with a bit of spice and ethanol. Overall, very clean. My only critique here is the lingering sweetness, which is a bit too strong for my tastes.
Conclusion
Kopper Kettle Whiskey isn’t a showstopper, flavor bomb whiskey. It is, however, an an extremely easygoing, enjoyable whiskey that I find myself returning to night after night. It has a great balance of flavors, and is just sweet enough to be enjoyable any time of the day. Ultimately, unlike so many other boutique American whiskies, Kopper Kettle Virginia Whiskey seems to have focus. It knows what it’s about. It tells a delightful story, over and over again.
I’ll be pursuing other expressions created by Belmont Farms. They know what they’re doing.
Up for review today is the Montecristo Epic Craft Cured, which is the latest release from Altadis (shipped to retailers in December of 2017). I had been waiting eagerly in early January for the cigars to arrive at Nat Sherman, and after I complained one too many times about the cigars not having arrived on Facebook, Rafael Nodal was kind enough to send me a few for this review.
The Montecristo Craft Cured was blended by the Plasencia family, the same minds behind the Montecristo Espada (a cigar that remains my favorite from Montecristo). The line is offered in three sizes, robusto, toro, and belicoso. Up for review today is the Montecristo Epic Craft Cured Belicoso.
The Montecristo Epic Craft Cured is a beautiful cigar, sporting the Montecristo Epic labeling with an additional band on the foot naming the Vintage 2006 Nicaraguan Rosado Oscuro as the wrapper leaf. It’s a nice touch. The wrapper itself has a few moderately sized veins, with a slightly rough texture and light layer of oil. The cigar has great weight in the hand and a touch of give when squeezed that is consistent over the length of the cigar.
Testing the draw, I find that the restrictiveness on the draw is substantial, bordering on too tight for comfort. The pre light draw reveals notes of caramel, nuts, wood, and a touch of spice which lingers on the lips.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
On lighting, the cigar kicks off with medium bodied smoke. Dominant flavors include leather, cedar, coffee, and oats. The texture is creamy, which complements the dryness of a competing dry cedar. There’s also a touch of sweetness. The cigar releases above average amounts of smoke, making the above average restrictiveness of the draw less of an issue.
An inch in, a bitter chocolate note enters the smoke, along with a white pepper which is evident both on the draw and (much stronger) on the retrohale. At this point, the bitter side of the profile (dark chocolate, leather, cedar) is dominant, with a sweet oatmeal not quite balancing out the experience. This is making me wonder if a coffee with milk or cream would help balance out the bitter side nicely. The ash is solid, with no fraying or splitting, and rolls off in one piece.
Moving into the second third, Montecristo Craft Cured finds more balance, with the oats and sweetness gaining a bit more share of the profile. The dry cedar also moves back to the retrohale joining the white pepper, providing more space for an emerging hickory note in the aroma.
By the final third, the pepper and dry cedar are on the retrohale, and a floral note has developed alongside the hickory, cream, and oats. The body and strength are at medium to full, and the smoke has become smoother than at any point previous. Unfortunately, that only lasts till about the last inch and a half, where the smoke becomes bitter and harsh, leading me to set the cigar down.
Conclusion
I enjoyed the the Montecristo Epic Craft Cured more and more as it progressed. The burn was nearly perfect throughout, the cigar produced great amounts of smoke and the complexity of the sweet, savory, and spicy notes was excellent. My only criticism is that about a third of the smoking experience felt off balance, with the leather, cedar, bitter chocolate, and white pepper at war with the creamy, sweet, and oaty notes.
At roughly $15, this cigar is not cheap, but it is worth the purchase, especially for Montecristo fans and fans of the generally underrated rosado leaf. As for me, I think I’ll be sticking with the Espada for now.
A few days ago I stopped by Nat Sherman on 42nd street to pick up an Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Eye of the Shark, which recently won Cigar Aficionado’s #1 Cigar of 2017. I should have known I wouldn’t find any since they likely sold out quickly in the #1 Cigar of the Year media and consumer frenzy. So I decided to pick up a few sticks of one of my old standbys, the Don Carlos Double Robusto. It’s an impressive cigar from an impressive company, and I was surprised when I realized I hadn’t reviewed it yet.
So let’s get to it.
Blend Specifics
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Size: 5 3/4 x 52
Appearance and Construction
Pre light draw is moderately loose, with lots of earth, spice, and natural tobacco notes. The dark outer wrapper is just a little bit toothy, with a slight oily sheen. I really dig the branding on this cigar. The combo of gold, black, white and red, combined with the raised lettering, really evokes feelings of exclusivity and luxury. This is all the better as this cigar costs roughly $10/piece.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
The Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Double Robusto opens with mild to medium bodied smoke featuring salty, vegetable like flavors up front and creamy coffee notes in the aroma. Certainly a uniquely Fuente flavor profile in my experience. The cigar produces a lot of smoke, and by an inch in, the salt and pepper ash is holding strong.
As the cigar enters the second third, a sweetness builds that is really nice, balancing out the salty vegetal notes. I’m really impressed at how the flavors are so clear and distinct, even as it morphs and changes.
At halfway, the spiciness, which up to this point has been an undertone, becomes more dominant. Construction is pretty much perfect, and the temperature of the smoke has remained cool.
In the final third, the sweetness draws back and the spice and vegetal notes come back into prominence. This I’m not too excited by because I was really loving the sweet, creamy profile in the second third.
Conclusion
I really enjoy the Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Double Robusto. It offers a profile that is very unique in today’s pepper/cocoa dominated cigar market, and I imagine it would have been just as unique twenty years ago as well. For anyone new or well into their cigar smoking hobby, the Fuente Don Carlos Double Robusto is a strong buy.
If you’re visiting this page, chances are it’s because you’re either a new cigar smoker, or you’re looking to buy a cigar for a friend or a special occasion. You may be standing in a cigar shop with your smartphone out or doing some research before purchasing online.
It’s likely you’re looking at a range of options, from $5 to $40 and just want to know “how much does a good cigar cost?”
There’s no one right answer, but there are some important tips. For each tip, I’ll also offer a number of cigar recommendations based on my personal experience (including price and cigar strength). For purchasing online, I’ve linked out to Famous Smoke Shop, which I consider the best cigar retailer on the market today.
Tip #1: Start in the $10 range if you can
As much as a cigar salesman might hate to hear me say this, you don’t need to spend more than $10 to get a great cigar. There is a glut of wonderful cigars in the $10 range. In the last two decades, there has been a ton of innovation in the cigar market, and that has led to a market full of great product. Brands like Rocky Patel, Camacho, Arturo Fuente, San Cristobal and more have great regular production cigars on the market in the $8 – $12 range. There have also been great value releases like the Casa Magna Colorado (retails for around $8), which won Cigar Aficionado’s #1 Cigar of the Year in 2008.
Some great $10 price range cigars include:
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Double Robusto ($10, medium): one of the best cigars from Arturo Fuente, the Don Carlos features extremely smooth and silky flavors of coffee, vegetal notes, white pepper, and spice.
Oliva Connecticut Reserve ($8.50, mild): One of the best mild to medium bodied smokes you’ll find under $10 . Creamy, smooth, and slightly sweet with notes of cedar, nuts, and hints of pepper.
The Tabernacle ($10, medium-full): The Tabernacle is just a beautiful smoke. It serves up some of the deepest, richest flavors and is in my top 25 of all time. Expect notes of chocolate, white pepper, toasted bread, and cedar.
A.J. Fernandez New World Puro Especial ($9, full): a breakout cigar which won many cigar of the year awards in 2017. Clocking in at $9 a cigar, expect creamy, smooth smoke, with balanced flavors of earth, cedar, cocoa, and cinnamon.
Tip #2: Be careful about going under $5 for a cigar
The $5 price point does still have some gems, but for the most part you’ll be settling for less if you are only willing to spend $5 on a cigar. It would be great to say that every price point has the best cigars in the world available to it. But that just isn’t true.
If you’re purchasing for yourself, you can safely ignore this advice. Smoke what you want! But, if you’re purchasing for a special occasion like someone’s wedding or bachelor party (and haven’t already spent a fortune on it), shoot for at least the $7 – $12 range.
That said, there are great cigars in the $5 price range. Here are some of the best $5 cigars:
Perdomo Lot 23 Maduro ($5.75, medium): a rich, dark smoke with lots of cocoa, earth, and espresso notes. Very smooth and a favorite for many smokers.
Arturo Fuente Hemmingway Short Story ($5.95, medium): a true classic from the Fuente family, and a favorite short smoke for many cigar smokers. It just also happens to be incredibly affordable!
Tatuaje Tattoo Caballero ($5, medium full): from Pete Johnson and Don Pepin, the Tatuaje Tatto Caballero features thick, rich and balanced flavors
Camacho Connecticut ($7, mild): the Camacho Connecticut is one of my personal favorites. Extremely smooth but with nice body – nutty, with cedar and a bit of cream. Always a great draw and good construction, and always in my humidor.
Tip #3: Some of the most common celebratory cigars do cost $20 or even $30
If you aren’t fazed by paying $10 or even $15 a cigar and are looking for some of the more legendary smokes on the market, I’ve listed a few below. They range in price from around $20 to $30. These are spectacular, the kind of cigars you buy when you are having a child, when your childhood friend is getting married and you are best man, or when you’ve just closed a massive business deal. These are not only celebratory cigars, they are legendary in their own right.
Arturo Fuente Opus X ($30, medium-full): Creamy, balanced notes of coffee, white and black pepper, and cedar.
Davidoff Millennium Blend ($25, full): As the cigar develops, the strength increases consistently. The combination of coffee, cocoa, and spices with floral notes makes this a must-smoke cigar.
Padron Anniversario 1926 Maduro($17, full): A true classic, and found at most cigar shops. Deep and rich smoke, with chocolate and fresh roasted espresso notes. Careful though, there’s also a dry cedar aspect of this cigar that makes it enjoyed best with a drink on hand.
Padron Family Reserve No. 45 Maduro ($27, full): similar to the 1926, but with a more concentrated flavor (also a bit less dry). Best enjoyed after a heavy dinner of steak, and not early in the afternoon.
So there you have it, a run down on how to think about cigar purchases in light of price.
As I mentioned before, there are great cigars in each category. There are, however, important and substantial differences between the best cigars in the $10 category and those in the $20 – $30 category. Whether or not those differences justify the cost is up to you. If you are just getting into cigars, I recommend starting in the $5 price range and working your way up from there so that you can appreciate the nuances of the cigars in the $20 – $30 space.
One last note. Where you are purchasing makes a big difference on the price you’ll pay for these cigars. If you’re looking to purchase a cigar in Europe or Canada, for example, you might have to bump up your expected price range by about $5 or even $10 to get the same quality as a $10 cigar here in the states.
If you live in the United States, it also matters which retailer you buy from. You’ll get better prices online than you will in a brick and mortar store. As mentioned earlier, I recommended Famous Smoke Shop for their ease of use, affordability, and overall quality of the experience over the years I’ve been purchasing through them.
Do you have a cigar in the $5, $10, or $20 – $30 range that you’d recommend? Tell us in the comments section below!
Up for review today is the Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco, a cigar that celebrates the 45th anniversary of the founding of the company. As you can see, the cigar is a beauty to behold–part of the reason I picked it up. But beyond any aesthetic appeal has to be quality and craftsmanship.
Blend Specifics
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí and Jalapa)
Appearance & Construction
It’s impossible to deny that the Cuatro Cinco is a beautiful cigar. The color of the wrapper plays nicely with the dominant black, white, and gold from the band. The Jalapa wrapper is a deep, rich dark brown with small veins. The texture is sandy, springy when squeezed, and seems to be packed evenly.
The pre-light draw has a healthy amount of resistance and I pick up hints of earth, chocolate, and a slight spiciness.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco opens with some fun notes of toasted bread, pepper, and an ultra smooth cocoa note that reminds me (at least in terms of consistency) to hot cocoa. Overall, the smoke at this point is medium bodied. The character of the smoke is interesting in that, though it is a very rich smoke, it also activates the tip of my tongue heavily with the spice.
One thing I notice is the box pressed format of this cigar makes for a really comfortable smoking experience.
An inch in, the burn is sharp and the cigar is producing a lot of smoke. The flavor has also shifted subtly, with the addition of peanuts and an oat-like aroma that I find very enjoyable.
In the second third, the spice increases a bit. There’s also an anise note that works well with the rest of the profile. The burn remains sharp, with a solid, white-gray ash.
Moving in to the halfway mark, I pick up leather, as well as a saltiness that’s saddled up alongside the pepper. Quite nice.
The final third doesn’t change much, but the cigar continues burning smoothing and the burn never wavers.
Conclusion
Cuatro Cinco is another great offering from Joya de Nicaragua. The blend showcases a lot of flavors found in other cigars like the Dark Corojo, but offers additional complexity to enhance the experience. But the number of flavors isn’t the only factor: they also have to harmonize with each other. The combination of flavors comes together like a gourmet meal: silky smooth, but rich and chewy. Chocolate, spices, peanuts, and anise. A great combo.
I picked up a couple Arturo Fuente Anejo Reserva No. 55 cigars at Nat Sherman on 42nd st after realizing that I had smoked most of the newer brands available at the shop. But before the review, a confession here: I haven’t smoked as many Arturo Fuente cigars as I should have over the last seven or eight years smoking cigars. Part of the challenge is that there has been a glut of really great product these last few years from exciting new brands, so it’s easy to forget some of the standby brands like Fuente and Ashton. So I was excited to be putting together a review of the Anejo Reserva No. 55—it’s a beautiful cigar that provides a great smoking experience as you’ll read below.
So let’s get on with the review.
Blend Specifics
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Size: 6×55
Appearance & Construction
The first thing I notice about the Arturo Fuente Anejo Reserva is that the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is extremely rough, with some imperfections. The cigar features the traditional Fuente band with a dominant white offsetting the common gold and red colors.
The smell off of the foot brings aromas of hay, mulch, coffee and a heavy leather. The pre light draw is very spicy with a sweet earthiness. The draw is good, with a healthy amount of resistance.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
The Fuente Anejo Reserva No. 55 opens with a creamy texture and notes of coffee, leather, and Fuente’s signature vegetal note (probably closest to grass). The smoke is medium bodied and sweet. Smoke production is great, and the ash is sturdy and almost completely white.
At an inch in, the spice from the prelight draw is ramping up, especially on the retrohale. It’s similar to very finely ground black pepper, with a slightly savory quality.
In the second third, the body and spice of the cigar increase significantly. The smoke is also richer and sweeter.
At halfway, I’m thoroughly enjoying this cigar—it’s telling a great story, weaving the flavors together really well.
The final third is mostly the same, though the leather is more pronounced and has an earthy quality. The last ten minutes or so ramps up even more, probably due to the reduced ring gauge caused by the tapering.
Conclusion
You really can’t go wrong with the Arturo Fuente Anejo Reserva. But that’s true of so many Fuente products (the Magnum R and Don Carlos come to mind). The Anejo Reserva brings to the table so much of what makes Fuente great, with a lot of complexity to boot.
Editors Note: check out our Top New Cigars of 2019 post here.
2017 saw some truly special releases from boutique brands like Foundation Cigar Co, Cornelius & Anthony, and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, as well as established brands like H Upmann, Padron, Drew Estate and Davidoff. Even with an unrelenting pile of new federal and state regulations hitting the cigar industry recently, 2018 is shaping up to be a great year for the cigar industry. Here are some of the new cigars of 2018 that are worth dropping what you’re doing to buy.
The Best New Cigars of 2018
Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Diadema
The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas presents a flavor profile that no JdN fan could miss: dark oak and charcoal, creamy cocoa, leather, and light spiciness. What Cinco Décadas achieves is to take the JdN flavor profile that we know and love and elevate it into the realm of art. I know that is high praise, but it is true, particularly given the cigar’s sheer complexity and balance. Highly recommended. You can read our full review here.
Strength: Full
Fine Tobacco NYC rating: 93
Buy the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Quesada Vega Magna
A worthy follow up to the Casa Magna which secured Cigar Aficionado’s #1 Cigar of the Year in 2018. The Vega Magna, rated 93 on this site, competes well with the Cinco Decadas above in terms of flavor, complexity, and balance. The cigar hits salty, savory, sweet, and bitter all at once, with notes of milk chocolate, leather, spices, and dry sliced apricot. Absolutely marvelous, and worth the higher price point.
Strength: Medium to Full
Fine Tobacco NYC rating: 94
CAO Nicaragua
The newest from CAO cigars, and it’s awesome. The CAO Nicaragua has lots of flavor and complexity without crossing into overaggressive territory. From a flavor standpoint, it starts with a base of rich espresso, with a great combination of chocolate, leather, and roasted peanuts on top. Impeccable construction. Easily one of our favorite releases from CAO in a long time. You can read our full review here.
Strength: Medium
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 90
Buy the CAO Nicaragua from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Aging Room Pura Cepa
Once again, Rafael Nodal of Aging Room/Altadis has hit the ball out of the park. The Aging Room Pura Cepa features notes of smoked wood, augmented by light chocolate, cream, floral, and leather notes. Impeccable construction. Highly recommended.
Strength: Medium
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 90
Buy the Aging Room Pura Cepa from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Joya de Nicaragua Clasico
Joya de Nicaragua is known for its full bodied Nicaraguan blends. The Clasico is a revival of the company’s first blend, and it is extremely mild. If you are looking for a new-release cigar on the mild side, this is your cigar. Strength and body would both qualify as mild. Extremely smooth, the Clasico starts with cedar and salted peanuts, with a creamy texture and subtle spice developing halfway through the cigar. You can read our full review here.
Strength: Mild
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 86
Buy the Joya de Nicaragua Clasico from JR Cigars here.
AVO 22 30 Years
The AVO 22 30 Years is a re-release of one of the most legendary limited edition cigars from AVO. Best-fitted for fans of mild to medium bodied cigars, what the AVO 22 lacks in strength it more than makes up for in complexity. Expect notes of notes of sweet cream, floral, and touches of pepper and spice. You can read our full review here.
Strength rating: mild to medium.
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 88
Purchase the Avo 22 30 Years from Famous Smoke herebefore they’re all gone.
Romeo San Andrés by Romeo y Julieta
One of the newest cigars from Romeo y Julieta, the San Andres features the legendary San Andres maduro wrapper, known for rich, robust flavors. With the Romeo San Andres, expect dark notes of earth, barnyard, dark cherry, chocolate, and pepper. You can read our full review here.
Strength: Full
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 85
Buy the Romeo San Andres from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Macanudo Inspirado Red
Macanudo is not a brand that I typically recommend, but parent company General Cigar Co has been on a tear with this brand over the last couple of years, most recently with the Macanudo Red. On the strength scale the Red falls right on the medium side of things, with bright flavors of cinnamon, oak, coffee, and toasted bread. Read our full review here.
Strength: medium to full
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 89
Buy the Macanudo Inspirado Red from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Las Calavaras LE 2018
A limited edition from Las Calavaras, a brand that took the cigar world by storm in 2014. This year’s limited edition blend is lighter in strength than previous years. From this cigar, expect a flavor profile dominated by cinnamon, spice, nuttiness, and black pepper.
Strength: mild to medium
Purchase the Las Calaveras LE 2018 from Famous Smoke Shop here.
AVO Maduro 30 Years
That’s right, AVO makes the list twice, and not just because they’re one of my favorite cigar brands. The AVO Maduro was brought out of production by parent company Davidoff in 2015 (much to the chagrin of AVO fans). For the 30 year anniversary of AVO as a brand, they’ve brought back the AVO Maduro in limited supply. Though dark, this cigar is not a huge powerhouse smoke. But it does deliver great flavors including earthy spice, seared steak, cedar, all with a slightly creamy finish. You can read our full review of the AVO Maduro 30 Years here.
Strength: Mild
Fine Tobacco NYC rating: 90
Purchase the AVO Maduro 30 Years from Famous Smoke Shop here.
2018 is far from over, with many cigars yet to be released onto the market. We’ll be adding to the above list periodically, but in the meantime, here is a list of the most exciting cigar companies from 2017 and some of the cigars we recommend from those brands.
Founded in 2015 and led by Nick Melillo (formerly of Drew Estate), Foundation Cigar Co. won massive awards in 2016 and 2017, including listings in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 and a number of top five and even number 1 rankings across the cigar blogosphere.
If you haven’t smoked cigars by Foundation Cigar Co., yet, I recommend starting with The Tabernacle (tasting notes: extremely smooth with dark chocolate, sea salt, white pepper, and cedar) and then moving on to El Gueguense The Wise Man Maduro, which earned Cigar Dojo’s number one cigar of 2017.
Top three cigars to try from Foundation Cigar Co.:
Another company founded in 2015 by Steve Saka (another former Drew Estate executive!), Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has released a number of phenomenal brands in its relatively short period of time. Saka’s cigars are famous for their ingenious use of the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper to create extremely smooth, flavorful cigars that contain depth, richness, and complexity. Mi Querida, one of Saka’s earlier blends, ranked number nine on our Top 10 of 2017 list.
Top three cigars to try from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
In 2018, the only question I have for Drew Estate is, “What are you going to come up with next?” Drew Estate is the most disruptive cigar company in the industry because they never give up on trying new ways of altering the cigar production process to create new smoking experiences.
The brand, which was recently acquired by Swisher International on account of it’s booming popularity, continued to be just as disruptive in 2017, releasing two cigars that made our Top 10: Pappy Van Winkle Tradition (tasting notes: very peppery, with leather and touches of vanilla) and the Undercrown Sun Grown (tasting notes: extremely smooth, with cinnamon, cedar, and coffee).
Do the disruptive cigar co’s on this list have you craving an older, more traditional but still phenomenal cigar? Davidoff—though pricey—is a fool-proof place to start. In 2016 and 2017, the company released a number of new cigars that made waves among cigar enthusiasts. At the top of the list is the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour, which is aged in ex-single malt scotch casks (tasting notes: leather, cocoa, rich earthiness, malt).
When I first started sipping whiskey, I was a big bourbon guy. The typical bourbon flavor profile is much more approachable than say, a scotch whisky, so bourbon was a great place to start. But over the years, I’ve found my palate has drifted towards a greater appreciation of rye whiskey (starting off with High West Double Rye). So it was only natural that at some point I’d review Michter’s US*1 Straight Rye Whiskey.
Michter’s dates back to 1753 in Pennsylvania. The many decades and century led to a natural build up of legend for this distillery, with the website stating:
According to Pennsylvania historical lore, commemorated by the Lebanon Valley Coin Club in 1978, this particular rye whiskey was so valued that when the Revolutionary War broke out, General George Washington visited the distillery and purchased whiskey to fortify his men as they hunkered down in their camp through the long, brutal winter at Valley Forge. Over 200 years later the Michter’s Pennsylvania management would say Michter’s was “the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution.”
With that said, let’s see if the Straight Rye by Michter’s lives up to the reputation.
Product Specifics
Spirit type: Rye Whiskey
Distiller: Michter’s Distillery
ABV: 42.4%
Aged in: new, charred Oak barrels
Appearance
It really goes without saying that the packaging Micther’s comes in is particularly beautiful, especially compared to many of the poorly thought out labels in craft whiskey these days. I love the color scheme on this bottle and how the green plays off of the dark orange of the rye. In the glass, the liquid is a somber, coppery orange.
Nose
The nose is packed with citrus, spice, dry oak and caramel. Very enjoyable, especially since the aromas are well balanced—not too much ethanol, and the rye spice is just right, not too much or too little.
Palate
The texture of the palate is warm and round, and brightens as the liquid sits on my tongue. Notes midway include citrus, sweet and spicy rye, all rounded off with a substantial oak.
Finish
Long and spicy, with a bit of orange zest.
Conclusion
Michter’s Single Barrel Rye is a really nice dram. This whiskey threads the needle of having a lot of body while still having the brightness a rye should have. At $40, this rye is a great value, so I recommend trying a bottle, especially if you notice the price edging up.
Editors Note: check out our Top New Cigars of 2019 post here.
2017 saw some truly special releases from boutique brands like Foundation Cigar Co, Cornelius & Anthony, and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, as well as established brands like H Upmann, Padron, Drew Estate and Davidoff. Even with an unrelenting pile of new federal and state regulations hitting the cigar industry recently, 2018 is shaping up to be a great year for the cigar industry. Here are some of the new cigars of 2018 that are worth dropping what you’re doing to buy.
The Best New Cigars of 2018
Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas Diadema
The Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas presents a flavor profile that no JdN fan could miss: dark oak and charcoal, creamy cocoa, leather, and light spiciness. What Cinco Décadas achieves is to take the JdN flavor profile that we know and love and elevate it into the realm of art. I know that is high praise, but it is true, particularly given the cigar’s sheer complexity and balance. Highly recommended. You can read our full review here.
Strength: Full
Fine Tobacco NYC rating: 93
Buy the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Quesada Vega Magna
A worthy follow up to the Casa Magna which secured Cigar Aficionado’s #1 Cigar of the Year in 2018. The Vega Magna, rated 93 on this site, competes well with the Cinco Decadas above in terms of flavor, complexity, and balance. The cigar hits salty, savory, sweet, and bitter all at once, with notes of milk chocolate, leather, spices, and dry sliced apricot. Absolutely marvelous, and worth the higher price point.
Strength: Medium to Full
Fine Tobacco NYC rating: 94
CAO Nicaragua
The newest from CAO cigars, and it’s awesome. The CAO Nicaragua has lots of flavor and complexity without crossing into overaggressive territory. From a flavor standpoint, it starts with a base of rich espresso, with a great combination of chocolate, leather, and roasted peanuts on top. Impeccable construction. Easily one of our favorite releases from CAO in a long time. You can read our full review here.
Strength: Medium
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 90
Buy the CAO Nicaragua from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Aging Room Pura Cepa
Once again, Rafael Nodal of Aging Room/Altadis has hit the ball out of the park. The Aging Room Pura Cepa features notes of smoked wood, augmented by light chocolate, cream, floral, and leather notes. Impeccable construction. Highly recommended.
Strength: Medium
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 90
Buy the Aging Room Pura Cepa from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Joya de Nicaragua Clasico
Joya de Nicaragua is known for its full bodied Nicaraguan blends. The Clasico is a revival of the company’s first blend, and it is extremely mild. If you are looking for a new-release cigar on the mild side, this is your cigar. Strength and body would both qualify as mild. Extremely smooth, the Clasico starts with cedar and salted peanuts, with a creamy texture and subtle spice developing halfway through the cigar. You can read our full review here.
Strength: Mild
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 86
Buy the Joya de Nicaragua Clasico from JR Cigars here.
AVO 22 30 Years
The AVO 22 30 Years is a re-release of one of the most legendary limited edition cigars from AVO. Best-fitted for fans of mild to medium bodied cigars, what the AVO 22 lacks in strength it more than makes up for in complexity. Expect notes of notes of sweet cream, floral, and touches of pepper and spice. You can read our full review here.
Strength rating: mild to medium.
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 88
Purchase the Avo 22 30 Years from Famous Smoke herebefore they’re all gone.
Romeo San Andrés by Romeo y Julieta
One of the newest cigars from Romeo y Julieta, the San Andres features the legendary San Andres maduro wrapper, known for rich, robust flavors. With the Romeo San Andres, expect dark notes of earth, barnyard, dark cherry, chocolate, and pepper. You can read our full review here.
Strength: Full
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 85
Buy the Romeo San Andres from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Macanudo Inspirado Red
Macanudo is not a brand that I typically recommend, but parent company General Cigar Co has been on a tear with this brand over the last couple of years, most recently with the Macanudo Red. On the strength scale the Red falls right on the medium side of things, with bright flavors of cinnamon, oak, coffee, and toasted bread. Read our full review here.
Strength: medium to full
Fine Tobacco NYC Rating: 89
Buy the Macanudo Inspirado Red from Famous Smoke Shop here.
Las Calavaras LE 2018
A limited edition from Las Calavaras, a brand that took the cigar world by storm in 2014. This year’s limited edition blend is lighter in strength than previous years. From this cigar, expect a flavor profile dominated by cinnamon, spice, nuttiness, and black pepper.
Strength: mild to medium
Purchase the Las Calaveras LE 2018 from Famous Smoke Shop here.
AVO Maduro 30 Years
That’s right, AVO makes the list twice, and not just because they’re one of my favorite cigar brands. The AVO Maduro was brought out of production by parent company Davidoff in 2015 (much to the chagrin of AVO fans). For the 30 year anniversary of AVO as a brand, they’ve brought back the AVO Maduro in limited supply. Though dark, this cigar is not a huge powerhouse smoke. But it does deliver great flavors including earthy spice, seared steak, cedar, all with a slightly creamy finish. You can read our full review of the AVO Maduro 30 Years here.
Strength: Mild
Fine Tobacco NYC rating: 90
Purchase the AVO Maduro 30 Years from Famous Smoke Shop here.
2018 is far from over, with many cigars yet to be released onto the market. We’ll be adding to the above list periodically, but in the meantime, here is a list of the most exciting cigar companies from 2017 and some of the cigars we recommend from those brands.
Founded in 2015 and led by Nick Melillo (formerly of Drew Estate), Foundation Cigar Co. won massive awards in 2016 and 2017, including listings in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 and a number of top five and even number 1 rankings across the cigar blogosphere.
If you haven’t smoked cigars by Foundation Cigar Co., yet, I recommend starting with The Tabernacle (tasting notes: extremely smooth with dark chocolate, sea salt, white pepper, and cedar) and then moving on to El Gueguense The Wise Man Maduro, which earned Cigar Dojo’s number one cigar of 2017.
Top three cigars to try from Foundation Cigar Co.:
Another company founded in 2015 by Steve Saka (another former Drew Estate executive!), Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has released a number of phenomenal brands in its relatively short period of time. Saka’s cigars are famous for their ingenious use of the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper to create extremely smooth, flavorful cigars that contain depth, richness, and complexity. Mi Querida, one of Saka’s earlier blends, ranked number nine on our Top 10 of 2017 list.
Top three cigars to try from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
In 2018, the only question I have for Drew Estate is, “What are you going to come up with next?” Drew Estate is the most disruptive cigar company in the industry because they never give up on trying new ways of altering the cigar production process to create new smoking experiences.
The brand, which was recently acquired by Swisher International on account of it’s booming popularity, continued to be just as disruptive in 2017, releasing two cigars that made our Top 10: Pappy Van Winkle Tradition (tasting notes: very peppery, with leather and touches of vanilla) and the Undercrown Sun Grown (tasting notes: extremely smooth, with cinnamon, cedar, and coffee).
Do the disruptive cigar co’s on this list have you craving an older, more traditional but still phenomenal cigar? Davidoff—though pricey—is a fool-proof place to start. In 2016 and 2017, the company released a number of new cigars that made waves among cigar enthusiasts. At the top of the list is the Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour, which is aged in ex-single malt scotch casks (tasting notes: leather, cocoa, rich earthiness, malt).
When I have friends over, whiskey (and/or cigars) is usually involved. For the New Years party my wife Catherine and I were hosting at home, I brought out two bottles: Michter’s Single Barrel Rye and High West Midwinter Night’s Dram. A good friend of mine brought along the bottle of A.D. Laws Four Grain Bourbon, and he was kind enough to leave it behind for me to write a review. I probably have had more now than my fair share, but Kyle you left a bottle of whiskey at my house—what did you think was going to happen?
In any case, I wasn’t familiar with Laws Whiskey House before today, but had heard some good word on the street about it. This whiskey hails from Colorado, which has become—at least in my view—a leading producer of quality boutique American whiskies. If you want to learn more about the Laws Distillery, stop by their website here. Let’s get on with the review.
Product specifics
Distiller: Laws Whiskey House
ABV: 47.5% (95 proof)
Age: “No less than 3 years” (3 years in American white oak)
In the glass, J.D. Laws Four Grain Bourbon is a deep caramel color with a slight reddish hue (much darker in the bottle). The bottle itself is really quite beautiful. I love the four sharp corners of the squarish design. I’m also a fan of the bottle design because it’s beautiful but it also functionally works unlike some other whiskies with really cool bottle designs. Most intriguing to me is the square insignia on the back of the bottle. As best as I can tell, the three main large squares are reflective of the three components of the A.D. Laws mantra: Craft over commodity. Quality over quantity. Whiskey above all.
Great mantra. Now let’s see how the product stacks up.
Nose
The nose is fairly strong, with a decent dose of ethanol burn (hard to get rid of at more than 45% abv, though that’s no excuse). Aromas coming out of the glass include dark cherries, baking spices (cinnamon), some corn, and a bright sort of tinny smell present.
Palate
Wow. Lot’s going on here. Spice is dominant, with additional flavors of rocky candy, burnt cookies, some butter and maybe an apricot note here and there. Overall though very spicy and oaky (think double-cinnamon snicker doodle cookie).
What I love about this dram is that I can clearly, distinctly sense the influence of the different grains involved in this whiskey. The corn influences the flavor in a way typical with many bourbons, lending the whiskey a sweet, syrupy initial quality. Moments later, the syrupy texture passes on to reveal the dry (though still sweet) influence of the rye and wheat.
Finish
The finish is long and predominantly rye-influenced, i.e. it is very spicy. The finish leaves a faint, bready flavor, alongside a slight maltiness, which I take to be the influence of the barley. The finish is probably my only area of complaint: it’s a bit too long for me, and I find myself wanting the it to clear.
Conclusion
At about $60/bottle, this bourbon might seem expensive. Relative to other bourbons on the market, it is. But I’ve noticed (this is as of Jan. 1 2018) that the average price point of American whiskies entering the market is skyrocketing, so I’m not sure $60 is surprising at all.
But, back to the point. The J.D. Laws Four Grain Bourbon is a great whiskey. It delivers big, bold flavors, and matches that boldness with complexity that I only find in a fraction of other bourbons on the market today (Eagle Rare 10 Year comes to mind). I’m looking forward to trying other whiskies from this producer.
For the bourbon or American whiskey enthusiast, my recommendation for the Four Grain is a strong buy.
