Diesel Whiskey Row – cigar review

Cigar Review

Diesel’s Whiskey Row which was released in June, is a partnership between Diesel, A.J.Fernandez and Rabbit Hole Bourbon. The cigar is distributed by General Cigar Corporation.

Rabbit Hole Bourbon provided used bourbon barrels to A. J. Fernandez who then placed Mexican binder leaf in the barrels for aging.

The complete composition of the Diesel Whiskey Row is as follows:
Filler – Nicaraguan tobaccos from Ometepe, Condega and Jalapa, each aged 5 to 8 years
Binder – Mexico
Wrapper – Ecuadoran Habano; aged for five years

The Diesel Whiskey Row comes in four vitolas:
Robusto – 5.5 x 52
Toro – 6 x 54
Churchil – 7 x 49
Gigante – 6 x 60

Alright, enough of the technical facts, let’s get to the completely arbitrary, “your mileage may vary”, “everyone’s got one”, personal opinion of this cigar.

Appearance
The Diesel Whiskey Row’s wrapper has a medium brown hue, with fine veins and barely visible seams. It has a well made, smooth triple cap.

There is a mild tobacco aroma on the wrapper and a rich, slightly sweet aroma on the foot.

Performance
The Whiskey Row had an easy pre-light draw with a savory taste on my lips and tongue. The cigar burned evenly with a thin carbon ring and produced a good amount of smoke. The ash was well formed and lasted about an inch before I decided to drop it each time.

Experience
1/3 – Highlights of the first third of the cigar were a very strong spice sensation during the retrohale anlong with a long finish that had a slightly bitter taste.

2/3 – Biggest highlight of the second third was that the bitterness smoothed out and turned into a slightly sweet flavor on my palate.

3/3 – the final third was all about being smooth. From the retrohale to the finish on my palate, this cigar calmed down considerably and was a nice end to the smoke.

Summary
(or 5/3 as it will be known from now on, just for my friend Sam Mallikarjunan)

I honestly did not know what to think going into this cigar. Technically, this is an infused cigar but not in that perfumed, artificially flavored cigar category.

I never picked up on any whiskey notes*, I just tasted tobacco to varying degrees. Not that this was a bad thing, I found the cigar to be very enjoyable.

I would classify the Diesel Whiskey Row as a medium bodied / medium strength cigar.

*Maybe I did experience whiskey notes, I just don’t know what whiskey tastes like as it burns. I think I’ll pick up a bottle of Rabbit Hole Bourbon and do some flaming shots. Then, I’ll just pour a couple of fingers over an ice sphere and enjoy it with a Diesel Whiskey Row.