The Stogie Guys

Information on Wathen’s is tough to come by. If you go to the spirit’s website, a notice reads, “New Website Coming…01/01/10.” I guess they’re behind on their marketing efforts.

But many bourbon enthusiasts would call Wathen’s anything but behind in terms of crafting a quality spirit. Reviews across the web are very favorable for this bourbon that was 8 generations and 250 years in the making.

Today Wathen’s is produced by Charles W. Medley and his son Samuel Wathen Medley with limestone-filtered water, corn, rye, and barley. It is distilled in Kentucky then bottled at the Charles Medley Distillery in San Jose, California. The bourbon undergoes a “100% copper doubling process” and is aged in charred new white oak barrels. The result, according to the bottle, is a spirit that’s “characterized by its lightness and dryness and has no peer among bourbon whiskeys.”

I picked up a 750 ml. bottle of Wathen’s (94 proof) for just shy of $30. I was attracted to its deep orange color, stout bottle, and classic-looking label. A sticker across the top denotes the barrel number and the date my sample was bottled: September 30, 2010.

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Though I haven’t gotten around to reviewing any of them, Kurt Kendall’s 7-20-4 cigars have become staples in my humidor. The “Dogwalker” size has particularly become a favorite as it delivers full cigar flavors in a small size (4 x 40) that takes less than 30 minutes to smoke.

So when I heard Kendall was introducing a new line at this year’s industry trade show, I was looking forward to trying it. It is called 1874, which commemorates the opening of the 7-20-4 factory in Manchester, New Hampshire. Two years ago Kurt Kendall, who runs the Twins Smoke Shop in New Hampshire, re-introduced the 7-20-4 blend (and resurrected the trademark) which had been made at the Manchester factory until 1963.

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After finishing my first MJ12, I couldn’t help but think how much I would like another. Though I didn’t light one up immediately, not having another two hours or so to spare, I have had several since that initial experience. And all have been excellent.

This thick, oily cigar from Dion Giolito’s Illusione brand is rich in flavors, complex, and balanced. Beginning with peppery spice befitting its Nicaraguan tobacco, the cigar evolves as it slowly burns down the six-inch length. I’ve picked up leather, cedar, floral notes, coffee, and a tobacco sweetness that blends nicely with various spices.

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Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Haven’t heard of Lou Rodriguez Cigars? Neither had I until recently when I tried the Reserva blend, which features a notably smooth San Andreas wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. The little “Bom Bom” has flawless construction. It’s a medium- to full-bodied blend with lots of earth and just a hint of sweetness. The well-balanced cigar even reminds me of the dependably tasty Padrón Serie 1926. This is a very pleasant introduction to Lou Rodriguez Cigars; I’m looking forward to trying more from this brand.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Sam Leccia’s “straight ligero” line called Cain debuted at the 2009 industry trade show in two wrapper varieties: Habano and Maduro. The latter is built with a dark Brazilian exterior leaf, a Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos from Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa. As you might expect given its recipe, the toro-sized 550 (5.75 x 50) produces tons of spice on the lips and a rich profile of roasted coffee beans and dry wood. With little depth, unwavering consistency in taste, and zero maduro sweetness, though, I can’t fully recommend this $5-6 cigar. The Habano is superior in my book.

Verdict = Hold.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) With the eyes of the industry on the annual trade show in Las Vegas, cigar enthusiasts may have missed the shakeup at Davidoff. Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, president and CEO of the Switzerland-based company, has named Jim Young the new president of North American distribution (Young was formerly president of Guinness USA). Christian Eiroa now serves as an advisor to the company instead of president of Camacho (Camacho was acquired by Davidoff in 2008). And Peter Baenninger has been moved from heading up Davidoff’s U.S. operations to overseeing global retail. No word yet on how these management changes may impact Davidoff’s portfolio of cigars, which includes AVO, Camacho, Cusano, Griffin’s, Zino Platinum, and Winston Churchill.

2) Cigar Rights of America, a consumer-based group that works at to protect the freedoms of cigar enthusiasts, has launched a quarterly newsletter called Cigar Patriot. If you are a CRA member and you haven’t received your copy in the mail yet, be sure to log on to the CRA website and update your contact information. You can also view a digital copy here.

3) Inside the Industry: Altadis announced new lines at last week’s trade show, including “A. Turrent Puro Corojo” (using a Mexican wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan and Mexican filler), H. Upmann 1844 Reserve (featuring an Ecuadorian wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and Dominican filler), and “Diamondback” (blended by Omar Ortez with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler). For more new releases see StogieGuys.com’s complete 2011 Trade Show coverage: Show Preview, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Odds and Ends, and Final Thoughts. Reviews of new releases will start next week.

4) Around the Blogs: Smoking Stogie smokes Undercrown by Drew Estate. Stogie Review has lots of Trade Show videos. Stogie Fresh has Trade Show photos. Cigar Fan fires up a Kinky Friedman Kinkycristo. A Cigar Smoker lights up an E.P. Carrillo Maduro.

5) Deal of the Week: This special lands you ten full-bodied smokes at a very mild price. Just $30 gets you five Cain Habano robustos and five Perdomo Criollo 10th Anniversary robustos. Or double up for only $20 more.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Davidoff

The Cohiba Behike has embodied the very definition of cigar hype since it was announced in February 2010 and hit international retailers in May of that year. Habanos SA, Cuba’s state-owned tobacco monopoly, called it “the new standard among smokers worldwide.” Longtime enthusiasts lauded it for ushering in a second era of Cuban dominance. And Cigar Aficionado named one of the Behike sizes the top smoke of 2010—awarding it a whopping 97 points.

To say this cigar has earned its fair share of press and accolades would be a massive understatement. This hype is due, at least in part, to the exorbitant prices commanded by the three Behike vitolas, which can reach as high as $75 per cigar depending on the market. Notwithstanding that cost, boxes of Behikes (named for the Taino word for sorcerer or doctor) have been selling out all over the world, making the El Laguito-made brand exceptionally rare.

The BHK 54 (5.7 x 54) certainly has the look of luxury and exclusivity. Packaged in a sleek black box of ten, complete with a fabric underside and a magnet latch, the cigar comes dressed in a beautiful reddish wrapper and a hologram-faced band. Beneath are tightly packed filler tobaccos, at least a portion of which is medio tiempo—a type of sun-grown leaf that’s found at the top of some tobacco plants.

Clipping away a small portion of the pigtail cap reveals an easy draw despite the crowded cross-section of interior tobaccos. Here you’ll find a gentle aroma of hay and honey. Once lit, the BHK 54 starts medium-bodied with subtle notes of cedar, coffee, earth, cream, and grass. I also find powdery cinnamon on the finish, especially after the midway point. But identifying these individual tastes doesn’t accurately describe the profile. The theme throughout is balance and restraint, and this harmony makes it difficult to pick out the components of the sum.

The flavors themselves—or, rather, the overall effect of the flavors—doesn’t change much from beginning to end. I suspect some will find this annoying given the cigar’s price, while others will be pleased with the consistency of the balance. Either way, the profile is amplified in the final third but remains in the medium-bodied spectrum. And all the while the physical properties are superb (including a finely layered gray ash that will hold strong beyond expectation).

At the end of the day, I can’t help but factor price into the equation when deriving a final rating for the Behike BHK 54. Is this Cuban really worth $500-600 for a box of 10? No, especially when you consider the other cigars you can buy with that kind of money. That said, this is a wonderful creation in its own right, and one that promises to deliver a memorable experience to the lucky few who get to try it. So I’m settling on a rating of four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys