Diesel Whiskey Row was one of the first cigars from Diesel brand that General Cigar chose to promote outside their catalog business. Whiskey Row is a collaboration between Diesel and the Rabbit Hole Bourbon distillery. The cigar is blended by AJ Fernandez using binder leaves that were aged in bourbon barrels, which happens to be a proprietary process developed by AJ to enhance the profile of the cigar. The Bourbon barrels from Rabbit Hole Distillery have been at Tabalacera AJ Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua since 2016 and the binder leave have been aging there being rolled almost two years later.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The rest of the blend for Whiskey Row uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that was aged for 5 years and filler tobaccos from the Ometepe, Condega, and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. Each of these leaves has been aged for 5 to 8 years.
“It looks well made. There’s a few medium sized veins that run the length of the cigar. Other than the few veins the wrapper is silky smooth to the touch. The seams are tight, a large double cap is well applied, but the foot looks slightly under filled.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Aroma: 87
“I picked up mostly barnyard on the body of the cigar and hints of chocolate on the foot. The aroma was there but not overwhelming.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
“Spice, spice and more spice. Cinnamon, red pepper, jalapeño, you name it and this cigar has it. Retro will clear your sinuses so be weary if you have a long retrohale! Retro is not bad but SPICEY! Has a long finish with a mineral zing on the tip of the tongue.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
“A nose tingling level of pepper starts immediately and then proceeds to add a bit of heat to my tongue. The draw is nice and the smoke output is solid. There’s a cola, weak cedar, and almost a fermented grain taste that reminds me of beer.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“The cedar faded and went to a hardwood. A baking spice note came in but was subtle. The smoke flavor was present again but not in a bad way. Really not much changed from the first third. Retro was still smooth.” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
“Sweetness picks up some, so I feel a little better about comparing it to zucchini bread. Maybe I’m not off my rocker…..well, maybe. Let’s continue this and see how it goes.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Final Third
Flavor: 88 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Abundant smoke output throughout this cigar. In the final third, this Cigar has developed a creaminess
I was not expecting in the finish. Baking spice was the dominant flavor profile however there was not a single spice that stood out. Towards the end, the cigar started to get a slight char to the flavor and was a bit of a put off so I let it die.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
“Still tastes like a beer to me. The level of pepper has increased just a touch from the previous third but nothing as bold as the first. There’s still a touch of sweetness occasionally and a little bit of leather to round things out.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 95
“Excellent draw from start to finish.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
Burn: 92
“Everything burned straight and I had to do no touch ups and relights.” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
Construction: 92
“Well made and the burn and draw confirm this.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full Experience Overall: 87
“This cigar came out of the gate like a race horse then settled into smooth run. The second third was my favorite part of this Cigar for sure but I was not overly impressed. I would like to give it another try but I wouldn’t search it out.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)
“The cigar started out good. I had some nice flavors. The flavors were subtle but were nice none the less. The last third fell off and was one note and just a smoke flavor for the most part.” –Matt H. (Mattehh)
“The flavors never changed from beginning to end but it was a pretty unique experience in terms of flavor. There’s only a few cigars that remind me of that sort of fermented grain flavor of beer and that’s what I tasted from start to finish. The smoke output and construction were spot on and it’s hard to find fault with anything. If you the taste of beer this might be something to try.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Wasn’t the most exciting cigar I’ve smoked this week, but it was also not bad. I’m interested in trying another with a little more rest and seeing if the flavors can hold up longer. Nothing more annoying than a profile dying out with a good 30-45 minutes left to smoke.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
"The flavors never changed from beginning to end but it was a pretty unique experience in terms of flavor. There's only a few cigars that remind me of that sort of fermented grain flavor of beer and that's what I tasted from start to finish. The smoke output and construction were spot on and it's hard to find fault with anything. If you the taste of beer this might be something to try." -Alan (Eulogy)
