Blind Cigar Review: Diesel | Whiskey Row Sherry Cask Robusto

Cigar Info

Diesel Whiskey Row is the latest cigar from Diesel and General Cigar and AJ Fernandez. It is a collaboration with the relatively new distillery Rabbit Hole Bourbon.  The blend was developed by Justin Andrews, Senior Brand Manager for Diesel Cigars, and AJ Fernandez. The cigar is again rolled at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Esteli. Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask uses Nicaraguan-aged tobaccos grown in three continents.

The whiskey in these cigars come in with their proprietary aging process of the binder created by AJ. The binder leaf chosen for this blend is a rare Arapiraca leaf from Central Brazil’s Alagoas region. This leaf is aged in Rabbit Hole’s Pedro Ximénez Sherry barrels and imparts subtle notes of honey, vanilla and molasses. The blend is completed with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper and Nicaraguan Habano fillers.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Brazil Arapiraca
Filler: Nicaragua Habano
Factory: Tabacalera Fernandez S.A.
Blender: Justin Andrews & AJ Fernandez
Number of reviewers: 4 – James H. (Keikan Jim) Nate H. (SineQuaNon) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Matt H. (Mattehh)
Price: $8.49
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: June 2019
Contributed by: General Cigar Co.

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 93

“Beautiful mottled dark brown color with light oily sheen with minimal seams and veins with a well applied double cap. Very handsome cigar.” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Aroma: 94

“Love the roasted coffee and dank earth I’m getting from the foot. Anxious to light it up and see what’s in store for me. ” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

First Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“This dark little beauty starts off with strong, though muddled flavor. Very little pepper, even on retro, which is unexpected. The burn goes wonky with barely over 1/2″ into it, which surprises me, since the cigar did not seem to have any soft spots and seemed well-rolled. Towards the end of the first 1/3 I find the draw has gotten tight, and decided to use a draw-tool on it, and successfully remove a plug, which allowed the draw to return to an amazingly thick consistency. ” –Nate H. (SineQuaNon)

“This cigar started out with power. The smoke was robust and full of flavor. The flavor was a wood core, nuts, and a sweetness that rounded it out. The retro was very strong. Had a actual heat to it not a spice.” –Matt H. (Mattehh)

Second Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium

“This baby delivers on the flavors I like! Those dark roasted Columbian coffee flavors and the dark chocolate and earth swirl around and are creating a very enjoyable experience. Every 5 or 6 puffs the bitterness returns but it doesn’t stick around thankfully. The ash is very flaky and makes for a mess on my lap. First 2 thirds are highly enjoyable. On to the last third.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“Still robust and full on the palate for me. Not much changed. The flavors were still the wood, nuts, and sweet. The retro got noticeably spicier. ” –Matt H. (Mattehh)

Final Third

Flavor: 92
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The final third of this Cigar mirrored the second third. Baking spices with a dark molasses background. The only difference was a nice saltiness that came into the finish. ” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

“Not much changed for the last third. Wood core, nuts, and sweetness are the same. Now a little dark flavor showing up. I would say it is a roasted coffee. Retro was still spicy. ” –Matt H. (Mattehh)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 94

“Draw was firm but allowed plenty of air to pass through the cigar. ” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Burn: 94

“Beautiful light-grey ash, which held on for impressive stretches; crisp, clean burn that was very visually appealing.” –Nate H. (SineQuaNon)

Construction: 92

“This was a beautifully rolled stick with a firm feel. The ash was grey in color and held firm throughout before dropping in solid chunks. ” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 88

“This was a an overall good cigar but fell slightly short of my expectations in the flavor profile. Solid construction was the strong point. I would recommend the reader to give it a try because it just might fit in their wheelhouse. ” –James H. (Keikan Jim)

“This was a highly enjoyable cigar, and one that I would never turn down if given the opportunity to smoke again. The flavors might have been muddled, but very pleasing; despite having to remove a plug (which I truly believe to be a fluke) the burn and draw were darn near perfect. This was a truly quality cigar…” –Nate H. (SineQuaNon)

“As I noted before, such a disappointment for a cigar to have a great first 2 thirds and then fall flat at the end. If I had to rank this based on the first half, I’d rank it a 93. But since it fell off at the end, over all I’d give this cigar a 85. The bitterness at the end was just horrible. Left a bad taste in my mouth. I would try this again just to see if it was a fluke, but I’d only buy a fiver at most at this point.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“Normally I don’t go full flavor on cigars. I did like this one though. It was not to in your face but you knew there was strength with every puff. Flavors were fine but the transitions were nonexistent. Mostly one note but still satisfying. ” –Matt H. (Mattehh)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 75

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: Diesel | Whiskey Row Sherry Cask Robusto

Overall Score – 92 – Great