Making a cigar that looks like a barrel isn’t new: we’ve got a couple of Quesada Kegs in a humidor at the office. Similarly, adding an ashtray to a cigar box is also not new—I’m sure most of you have seen the Plasencia releases with their unique lids. But General Cigar Co. likely gets to claim it is the first company that has ever done both in one release.
The Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask Holiday Edition is an extension to the Whiskey Row line, which debuted last year. That blend is known for having its binder tobacco aged in spent casks that were previously used to age both sherry and bourbon. As such, for the first extension to the line, General Cigar Co. decided on an obvious packaging vessel: a barrel. The Whiskey Row Sherry Cask Holiday Edition is a limited edition release that, as its name implies, was released around the holidays in a box that looks like a barrel.
It’s pretty authentic sans the lid functioning as an ashtray, something I imagine no barrelhouse would ever dream of given the obvious fire risks. Outside of that element, the rest seems to capture the spirit of making a barrel to age alcohol in. It’s made of oak and Brooks Whittington noted in his review that the smell is very intense inside. Beyond that, it features metal barrel hoops and actual wooden staves with the grain showing, meaning every box is unique. — Charlie Minato.
