Rating: 7.9/10

Enjoyed: June 4, 2026

A dark, oily Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. Pre-light nose of musty barnyard, sweet cherry and birch beer with a touch of pepper; lighting brings out strong cedar and pepper. A rich, peppery maduro of black coffee, dark chocolate and cocoa, charred oak, earth and leather — creamy early and growing nuttier through the middle — into a dry, oak-and-pepper finish with an intense peppery retrohale.

Not as good as the natural.

Rating: 8.4/10

Enjoyed: June 3, 2026

A pale, natural Mexican San Andrés claro wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and Estelí/Jalapa fillers. Nose of roasted peanut, raw chocolate and tangy cedar; the palate opens with candied cinnamon and walnut, moving through sweet cedar, savory spice, cocoa, pine and black pepper, finishing earthy with lingering pepper and cinnamon at medium to medium-full.

Rating: 6.9/10

Enjoyed: June 2, 2026

Box-pressed, with a dark Mexican San Andrés wrapper over all-Nicaraguan tobacco (made by Altadis at AJ Fernandez's Estelí factory). A brief white-pepper opening quickly turns creamy, with dark chocolate and espresso over an earthy Nicaraguan core accented by cinnamon, black cherry and cedar.

Rating: 7.9/10

Enjoyed: June 1, 2026

Dark, oily Mexican San Andrés maduro wrapper over Nicaraguan tobacco, made by the García family for Ashton. Cocoa, espresso and a notable black-cherry sweetness with mild paprika spice; through the cigar, dark and baker's chocolate, almond, espresso bean, cracked pepper and leather lead to a sweet, zesty finish.

Rating: 7.8/10

Enjoyed: May 31, 2026

Milky-brown, nearly flawless wrapper, often pigtail-capped. Toasts up with sweet tobacco and cinnamon; early flavors are creamy and nutty with cedar, leather, light white pepper, vanilla and cane sweetness, building toward full in the final third with ligero spice, oak, dark chocolate and black pepper into a tangy, lingering finish.

Rating: 7.8/10

Enjoyed: May 25, 2026

Smooth Ecuadorian Rosado Oscuro wrapper over Nicaraguan García-family tobacco. Nose of earth, cedar and faint cocoa with restrained pepper; the palate runs cedar, espresso, cocoa, leather, nutmeg and red pepper with a hint of raisin sweetness, building from medium toward medium-full into a long, spice-tinged finish.

Rating: 7.9/10

Enjoyed: May 23, 2026

The classic red-shield Dominican line: well-aged, medium-bodied, smooth and balanced. Natural and Cameroon versions lean toasty and nutty with cocoa, coffee, baking spice and buttery pie-crust, while the Broadleaf Maduro is richer with dark chocolate, licorice, almond and wood. Creamy texture and a velvety, lingering finish across wrappers.

Rating: 8.1/10

Enjoyed: November 25, 2025

Volume 02, a Michigan blend of roughly 12-year MGP bourbon and 12-year MGP rye at 54% ABV. Independent reviews are sparse; producer and retail notes describe the long-aged bourbon contributing vanilla, maple and oak with the well-aged rye adding spice and structure, for a sweet-and-spice balance at higher proof. Profile is provisional and producer-derived.

Rating: 8.0/10

Enjoyed: September 5, 2025

A bottled-in-bond Kentucky straight bourbon (100 proof, non-chill-filtered) using heirloom Turkey Red wheat as the secondary grain. Soft, floral nose of vanilla, sweet cream, cinnamon, oatmeal and brown sugar; a medium palate of buttery caramel, orchard fruit and cinnamon-white-pepper spice over medium oak, finishing soft yet peppery with grain, vanilla and burnt sugar.

Rating: 2.5/10

Enjoyed: July 31, 2025

An experimental single batch (~84 proof) macerated with around 42 botanicals, blurring bourbon and gin. Nose of lemon-lime citrus, juniper, coriander, marshmallow root and ginger; a syrupy palate oozing lemon over malted-grain sweetness with ginger cake, Red Hots, nutmeg and lime peel, into a shorter finish of black tea, floral botanicals and grapefruit.

Rating: 6.7/10

Enjoyed: July 19, 2025

A limited Seattle-made American single malt finished in a roughly 200-year-old oloroso "color cask," 100 proof. Nose of fermented dark fruit, aged molasses, charred oak and a savory soy edge; a palate heavy with stewed plum, raisin, black cherry and fig jam, browned butter and dark chocolate, into a long finish of prune, dates and cola syrup with a dry, nutty aftertaste. Distinctly fermented and polarizing.

Rating: 4.4/10

Enjoyed: June 27, 2025

A Privada Cigar Club exclusive (best matched to the aged CREAM "Chocolate" release) in a light, silky Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. A dessert-leaning profile of chocolate ganache and vanilla cream up front, supported by cedar, sweet spice, roasted coffee, oak and nutty undertones. A club exclusive, so independent reviews are limited.

Rating: 8.0/10

Enjoyed: May 5, 2025

A single-barrel limited bottling with a soft, sweet, traditional bourbon character. Caramel and vanilla on the nose with a light herbal note and stone fruit; an easy-sipping palate of plum, caramel, vanilla and cinnamon bark, finishing medium with sweet caramel and cinnamon-candy. Barrel picks vary bottle to bottle.

Rating: 7.9/10

Enjoyed: April 29, 2025

Dixon Dedman's "Two Times Oak" Kentucky straight bourbon, ~104 proof. Fruity-then-spicy nose of strawberry, orange, vanilla, banana bread and charred oak; a viscous palate of caramel, cherry, toasted oak, cinnamon, allspice, cedar and white pepper, with a long, peppery orange-chocolate and barrel-char finish.

Rating: 7.6/10

Enjoyed: April 25, 2025

A batched blend of sourced straight bourbons, so the profile shifts by volume. Nose of vanilla, cinnamon and rye spice with red fruit, buttercream and oak; a palate of vanilla, brown sugar, rye spice, oak and a stewed strawberry-rhubarb note, into a medium-to-long finish of sweet, dry oak and lingering spice.

Rating: 7.1/10

Enjoyed: April 1, 2024

Buffalo Trace's bottled-in-bond Kentucky straight bourbon at 100 proof from a higher-rye mashbill. Nose of oak into caramel-apple, brown sugar, light cinnamon, molasses and vanilla; a syrupy, sweet palate of caramel and butterscotch with candied red and orchard fruit and measured rye spice, finishing on raspberry, slightly burnt caramel, gingersnap and peppercorn.

Rating: 7.8/10

Enjoyed: January 9, 2024

Wild Turkey's non-chill-filtered single barrel at 110 proof (a private pick). Nose of big oak, rich caramel and graham cracker with light smoke and leather; the palate balances vigorous rye spice and charred oak against caramel, toffee, vanilla, tobacco and assorted fruit, finishing on rye spice, dark fruit, tobacco and leather. Individual barrels vary.

Rating: 8.4/10

Enjoyed: December 22, 2023

Cask-strength blend of three ryes with a triple-cask finish (Madeira, rum and orange casks), ~60% ABV. Dessert-forward nose of dried fruit, caramel, citrus and chocolate-covered cherry; a rich, viscous palate of dark chocolate, cherry-cola, rum-soaked raisins and orange peel with little traditional rye spice, finishing long on cocoa and fruit-candy sweetness.

Rating: 8.4/10

Enjoyed: July 22, 2023

Heaven Hill's limited small-batch Kentucky straight bourbon at 15 years, ~109 proof. Rich nose of caramel, dark brown sugar, toasted oak, pecans, cigar box and leather; a mellow, viscous palate of maple, baking spice, seasoned oak, dark honey and plum/cherry, with a long, warm finish of baking spice and Luxardo-cherry fruit.

Rating: 8.3/10

Enjoyed: March 3, 2023

A high-rye MGP bourbon bottled at barrel proof (~120 proof) as a private "I-69" pick by Cardinal Spirits. Nutty nose with toffee and peanut brittle; a palate balancing orange-blossom honey, green apple, citrus and dried apricot with butter cookies and tea, into a long finish of honeyed cornbread, candied ginger, cinnamon and oak spice. Barrel picks vary.

Rating: 8.1/10

Enjoyed: March 3, 2023

A barrel-strength Tennessee whiskey single barrel (~125–135 proof). Heavy, sweet nose of candied banana, toasted marshmallow, deep caramel and toasted almond; a full, viscous, hot palate of banana-nut bread, maple sugar, vanilla, barrel char and cinnamon, into a long, drying finish of charred oak, wood spice and maple. Proof and intensity vary by barrel.

Rating: 7.5/10

Enjoyed: January 13, 2023

High-rye Kentucky straight bourbon (distilled by Jim Rutledge at Castle & Key), released as limited blended micro-batches. Nose of praline, orange peel, cherry, brown sugar and sweet oak; the palate moves from buttery brown sugar and toasted oak into rye pepper, cinnamon and stone fruit, with a long, evolving finish of caramel, toffee, clove and light tobacco.

Rating: 7.3/10

Enjoyed: August 23, 2019

Oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over Brazilian Mata Fina and Cubra leaf. Opens with chili-chocolate spice, leather, mineral and citrus, then a bright stretch of lime and pineapple often likened to key lime pie, settling into Brazilian coffee, caramel, cream and toasted nuts. Medium-to-full, with a warm, creamy, pepper-and-oak finish.