You know the story.
You’ve seen the video.
You’ve likely even purchased the bottle.
And now, this coming Monday, you can join Todd Leopold and myself on Instagram at 6 PM PST to hear Todd discuss the Three Chamber Still live, while you all ask questions in the comment field.
Whatever you want to know about the still and the whiskey, just ask.
We’ll see you at the @missionliquor Instagram!
-David Driscoll
If one thing is absolutely crystal clear after this week’s PCA show in Las Vegas, it’s that the cigar industry is taking a page from the craft beer movement, ditching the old-timey, traditional iconography that for decades have adorned its boxes and bands. Instead, bold, bright, brash colors were the highlight of the event, from the forward-thinking design of companies like Crowned Heads, to the Back to the Future-themed “McFly” cigar from Oscar Valladares.
Much like we’ve seen in the spirits world over the last year or so, the marketing focus on tradition is fading away, as a younger, hipper, more modern approach is taking hold and catching fire. Tradition is still spoken of when you speak with each company, but the designs have completely moved away from historical precedent.
Like any product marketing, there were plenty of mediocre cigars with flashy packaging, building on today’s archetype cigar smoker: no longer the suited gentleman smoking in his leather book-bound library, but rather the bearded, jewelry-adorned, rock and roll biker, sipping a glass of high proof Bourbon while smoking a more powerful stick.
Like the Bourbon industry, there are only a handful of major players actually growing tobacco and rolling cigars within the industry; hence, almost all of the boutique brands at the show are being made at the same factories. Think of the 50+ brands of MGP-sourced whiskey on the market right now, each with its own approach, story, and flavor-profile.
That being said, what I appreciate about the cigar world is that it hasn’t yet been broken down into component marketing, meaning that—unlike most Buffalo Trace products—there isn’t one factory or producer that smokers are endlessly chasing based on the source of its tobacco. It’s wide open.
And, based on what I saw over the last few days, it’s about to explode.
-David Driscoll
Since I’m sitting here in the La Palina lounge next to Bill Paley, smoking cigars at 10 AM, I’m going to let Bill tell you about the new La Palina KB 2021 release—by far, the best new cigar I’ve smoked at this event. Here’s Bill’s breakdown:
I was a newbie, so I turned to Alan Rubin for help and created the El Diario line at Raicas Cubano. Six months later, I asked them to make me some petit coronas. When they arrived and I smoked the first one, it was so powerful that I couldn’t finish it. The people in my office called it the Kill Bill because it almost killed me. So they boxed it up for me and put KB on it because of the joke. It became an underground hit for people who knew cigars, so we followed it up with a second release with the same ring gauge, but longer. They’ve been in regular production for about eight years now. We decided to increase the line to a robusto and a toro, which meant reblending to take into account the larger ring gauge. The reason the KB1 was so different is because it has a double binder and a flavorful wrapper, and when it was smaller it concentrated those leaves. We readjusted and they were able to meet our expectations. It’s a fantastic cigar.
We also wanted a way to bring it back to people’s attention with rebranding. With the new box, I wanted to surprise people. Most of our branding before had been elegant, whereas this is more contemporary. I can’t deny that a lot of the inspiration came from Matt Booth’s design and other graphic novels. I’m a big graphic novel guy. The Watchman is one of my favorites.
It’s has a double binder of Criollo and Corojo, which makes it a firmer cigar. It has a strong flavor, it’s very balanced, and it’s a beautiful cigar. The balance is what sets it apart: the balance of flavor, strength, all of the matrixes in the cigar. When you don’t have balance, you lose complexity.
If you have an exciting cigar, you need an exciting presentation. During the pandemic we did a lot of fine tuning concerning the presentation of all our brands, and I think we got this one right.
-David Driscoll
As you may or may not know, the PCA show in Vegas isn’t just an expo, it’s also a gigantic sales floor where retailers like Mission can place orders for limited edition products available only at the expo. There are special discounts, exclusive sticks, and all sorts of unique opportunities for those who attend.
To give you an idea of what's available, let’s start with Rocky Patel.
I immediately grabbed multiple boxes of the ALR (aged limited rare) second edition: a box-pressed cigar rolled at the Tavicusa factory in the heart of Estelí, Nicaragua. They’re wrapped with an oily Mexican San Andres wrapper and they’ve been aged two years before release.
Here’s one I’m very excited to try: the new White Label. This line is going after the Davidoff smoker with a true Connecticut wrapper and what’s rumored to be some Cuban seed filler.
Over at the My Father station we ordered 20 boxes of the Garcia y Garcia 2021 edition, featuring a Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper and a Nicaraguan Criollo binder. Creamy, nutty, cocoa, all that. This thing is begging for rum.
After the show it was time to hit the Center Bar at the Mirage and unwind with a cold gin martini. For those who never read my old blog, let me reintroduce you to my favorite person from the booze business, who now—thank God—is in the cigar business. He’s one of my best friends and he’s my mentor for all things tobacco: Matt Freerks. As the VP of Sales for La Palina, Matt is a powerhouse in the business, and I’ve been relishing every opportunity we have to work together again. It’s been a hot and heavy reunion of two old friends.
Matt Freerks is also an amazing combination of styles: part rockabilly, part playboy, part Southern gentleman. Like James Bond, he knows what to order. He has impeccable taste and I find myself biting his style every now and again.
Men either want to party with him, or destroy him.
Dinner was at Brezza, the fantastic Italian-themed eatery in the new World Resorts Casino. This was my first time back in Vegas since its opening, so it was fun to explore. I was sitting with La Palina’s Sammy Phillips and Bill Paley, when out of nowhere Matt Booth walks in and pulls up a chair. Then Alan Rubin from Alec Bradley cigars walked in, along with his sons: Alec and Bradley. That’s when the party really started.
If you’re unaware of the Bill Paley story, and how he came to found La Palina cigars, that’s a much longer saga for another blog post. Bill’s family founded CBS and his mother was “Babe” Paley, at one point the most famous woman in America along with Marilyn Monroe. The stories this man has are simply unreal. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with him on the patio, talking about his past, and sharing some incredible La Palina cigars.
Lots more soon.
-David Driscoll
I got the road before 7:00 AM, but it didn’t matter.
It was HOT.
Between Barstow and Baker it was already 111 degrees by 9:00. There were several overheated vehicles on the side of the highway, and countless scattered rubber carcasses from what used to be tires. I had a case of water in the car for emergency purposes. I did not want to get stuck in the desert on a day like this.
I arrived at the PCA 2021 Cigar show around 11:30, and since I was a guest of La Palina for the event, I headed straight to their exhibit. Sitting there, ready to greet me, looking incredibly dapper, was the man himself: Bill Paley, Jr.
I dropped my bag, said my hellos to the team (including my best friend Matt Freerks) and got ready to hit my appointments. With so many exclusive cigars being sold only at the show, and rumors that many of them were on the verge of selling out already, I didn’t want to waste any time.
It was time to load up on inventory.
My first appointment was with Padron, who was offering the Family Reserve No. 95 as a PCA exclusive release. Padron’s founder Josê Orlando Padrón would have turned 95 years old on June 10; hence the tribute. I grabbed multiple boxes of both the natural and the maduro, both at 4 3/4 x 60.
Since I placed a healthy order, my Padron rep walked me over to the vault and grabbed me something special as a thank you: the 1964 Padron Anniversary. I had never had one, so I lit it up right there.
When I walked back over to put some ordering receipts in my bag, my buddy Matt asked me what I was smoking.
“They seriously just gave you that?” he asked in shock. “That’s a serious cigar. That’s a freaking masterpiece of a cigar.”
Indeed it was.
More soon.
-David Driscoll
For those of you who tuned into our live Knob Creek barrel selection a few months back, the second cask has now arrived and is in stock at all locations. Jim Beam ambassador Amanda Gunderson thought this particular 9 year old barrel tasted like a Werther’s Original butterscotch candy, so we shortened it down to “W’s Original” on the label for brevity’s sake. Nosing this whiskey now, you’re all going to be very, very happy. Drinking this side-by-side with its sister cask—the Pecan Bomb—is not at all superfluous. They are clearly different whiskies.
The nose is a big box of cinnamon-dusted Graham crackers dropped inside a bag of oak chips. The sweet spices absolutely explode on every sip, but it’s like a supernova that collapses onto itself, creating a wormhole to a completely new world of flavor. It moves from baking spices, to cedar, forest pine, and black pepper, finishing with another explosion of vanilla and sweet oak. Now that it’s been bottled, I don’t think it tastes all that much like a Werther’s Original, but that’s OK. It’s still an impeccable bottle of whiskey for a great price.
What other Kentucky distillery out is offering delicious, 9+ year old barrels of cask strength Bourbon for $49.99? There's a reason we're sticking with Beam for our best deals right now.
-David Driscoll
A big thank you to Frankie Dranks and the team at Drew Estate for having me on the show yesterday. I got to smoke my first Liga Privada and talk about the retail business, which are pretty much two of my favorite things to do!
Check out their other episodes at the above link!
-David Driscoll
It’s a headline straight out of the Onion, except that it’s true.
In a move that has me scratching my head, but is also genuinely amusing for a number of reasons, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has declared that only Russian-made sparkling wine can be called Champagne.
What will true French Champagne be known as? Sparking wine, of course.
That means France’s most famous and coveted Champagne brands will have to change their labels to read “sparkling wine” if they want to continue doing business in Russia. According to the Drinks Business, Russia imports about 6.5 million liters of Champagne a year, so do your math and that’s about 722,222 cases annually. Nothing to sneeze at.
Can you imagine telling Dom Perignon it can’t use the name Champagne on its labels?
I’m excited to see where this goes! It’s like an episode of the Real Housewives.
-David Driscoll