It is well known in the cigar world that a glass of spirits, typically brown, pairs well with a stogie. What is in the glass does matter, as some beverages will derail the intended flavor profile of the cigar. Bourbon whiskey is an all-time favorite among aficionados and often times is a pleasant pairing with a cigar. Many companies will take their aged tobacco and let them sit in repurposed booze barrels to soak up the aromas & flavors left over. Whiskey and rum barrels are the most common and one can find various offerings from numerous brands that utilize that method on one or more of their lines.
Today we're going to take a look at the Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel-Aged Sun Grown Robusto. According to the Perdomo website, all the tobaccos used in the line are aged for a minimum of 6 years before going into the barrels. There is a Connecticut, Sun Grown, and Maduro version for the line and the tobaccos are barrel-aged for 8, 10, and 14 months respectively. Are you thirsty yet? Let's set it on fire and see what's up.
The Deets
Cigar: Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel-Aged Sun Grown Robusto
Origin: Estelí, Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera Perdomo
Size: 5 x 54
Wrapper: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan
Appearance 9.5/10
A looker here. Aged veins on a very consistent sun grown wrapper looks quite nice. The cap is simple, but tidy & clean. Seams are excellent, firm pack, and the bunching is even at the foot. A straight profile with snug & rugged bands. The overall appearance is that of a well made cigar.
Draw 9.5/10
Outstanding performance regarding the draw. I used a straight cut and the pre-light draw gives the green light to fire up. The result wan an almost perfect draw that was only missing a tiny bit of resistance. Never poked, never pulled, and never got annoyed. Bravo.
Burn/Construction 9/10
While very few companies are perfect burners every time, Perdomo has a great track record in my book when it comes to burn lines & ash. Same story with this one. The ash may have been an ugly dark grey, but I don't care too much about that. It was firm, stayed put, didn't flake around, and the burn line was pretty darn good. I did use a flame flick one time, but likely was more of a want than a need. No pesky issues like swelling or cracking.
Taste 8.5/10
1/3 - Immediately I can tell this was barrel-aged. The woody bourbon note is prominent and comes with a toasty vibe. Small amounts of brown sugar sprinkle their way in. Moving inward I pick up a little bit of salty corn chips. Another note arrives that reminds me a lot of teriyaki, but on the soft & subtle side. Body is already deep into the Medium zone. The sun grown boldness is very present on the retro and
2/3 - easily rolls into the 2nd third. As I progress the retro livens up with white pepper and taco seasoning. While not found in every puff, I do sense some low-sugar candy apple. This section of the cigar was difficult for me to pinpoint. There are various notes that come in & out as backup singers to bourbon barrel, but none that truly stand out that much. Sometimes the jam is soft & grassy, while other times it is a mix of smoky wood.
3/3 - This trails off for the worse here in the final third. New-ish leather arrives and I don't mind it. What does arrive here and there are dirty socks....Thankfully those notes were few and not during the entire finale. Overall the profile has simplified and is dominated by spice wood and bland tobacco bitters. Considerably better on the first 2 thirds.
Overall 9.1/10
All cards on the table, I'm usually not a big fan of cigars utilizing barrel-aged tobacco. I do enjoy whiskey, but the notes added to the cigar aren't ones I typically have in my cigar wheelhouse. That said, this Perdomo offering wasn't too bad. Aside from the gross final third, much of the cigar was pleasant. Complex? Nope, I definitely wouldn't say that. The barrel was front & center the whole time, but it did harmonize well with the rest of the notes, even if they were drowned out a little. Construction & performance-wise it was a high scorer. What do yo think? Do you like your tobacco napping in barrels?
**Number of cigars smoked for the review: 1
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