Douglas Laing & Co, an independent Scotch Whisky distiller, blender, and bottler, has introduced a new edition of their Island Malt called Rock Island Rum Cask Edition. This follows the Rock Island Mezcal Edition from 2022, which was finished in Mezcal casks.
The Rock Island Rum Cask Edition has been matured in Plantation Rum Casks from the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad. The whisky is a blend of Single Cask Single Malts from the Scottish islands of Orkney, Arran, Jura, and Islay.
According to the company, the whisky has notes of ‘salted caramel, toasted oak, brown sugar, and a touch of smoke.’ It has been bottled at 46.8% ABV without coloring or chill-filtration, following Douglas Laing & Co’s usual practices.
The bottle features colorways of blues, reds, and greens, along with gold foil detailing, reflecting the islands involved in the process.
The collaboration with Plantation Rum is part of Douglas Laing & Co’s approach to whisky making. Emma Reid, Rock Island’s Brand Manager, commented on the combination of flavors from Scotland and the Caribbean.
Jonas Indesteege, Brand Manager at Plantation Rum, spoke about the partnership between Alexandre Gabriel, creator of Plantation Rum, and Douglas Laing & Co, emphasizing the shared production techniques, traditions, and innovations.
The Rock Island Rum Cask Edition is priced at £65 and will be available globally.
The eleventh edition of Davidoff’s tribute to the signs of the Chinese Zodiac is the Year of the rabbit. It’s a large double perfecto with an Ecuadorian wrapper Mexican binder with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers respectively. I’ve been able to smoke all the editions thus far and they have all be well received in their size and tasting profile. Having to smoke this blind, I was excited to smoke what looks like a well-made cigar with its pigtail cap.
Blend Specifics
Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Year of the Rabbit Limited Edition 2023
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Mexican San Andres
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Size: 5” 15/16 x 54 (double perfecto)
Appearance and Construction
This perfecto sports a squat pigtail cap with a few noticeable veins across the wrapper. It’s a bit dry as I run my figures across, and to the touch its firm with sufficient tobacco inside. Rolling in my palm I see how well-crafted the cigar is. The small opening to the foot gives off faint barnyard and wood notes.
Taste and Smoking Characteristics
I clip just enough to remove the pigtail cap which allows me to get a nice draw. As I take an unlit puff there’s leather and prune coming through. Using a long match I take flame to the tapered foot and I’m greeted with a salty and gritty start. The perfecto begins to develop leather and pepper with roasted nuts on the end. As the foot opens wider the smoke builds and with a retrohale I get honey and leather that clings to the sides of my mouth as I exhale. The pepper takes on a stronger role although does not overwhelm. The smoke is billowing now and the cigar is in the medium bodied range.
About midway the leather dominates and the finish becomes metallic. I get wood and roasted nuts with its progression and an unfortunate tinny impression. The retrohale gives coffee and nuts with a dry dusty finish. The grit returns from the wrapper as I take a slow draw with cocoa and a creamy finish that develops which is quite pleasant. The ash is grayish and long marking the quality of the roller. There’s some dried red fruits appearing while the metallic finish returns. The body of the smoke does not sway from its medium style despite the pepper and increased smoke production I get with another draw.
The final third gives more honeyed sweetness with toasted oak and dryness on the palate. Another puff delivers more fruit with leather and a short finish. Taking a retrohale the pepper returns along with cedar, almond and another metallic taste as the smoke wafts through. The ash continues to be solid and light gray with an ever present dead even burn. There’s some nice complexity to the cigar although not as pronounced as I’d like. Smoke production is consistently high with a noticeable aroma of oak and notes of cream and leather once again. Taking a final draw the wood profile and leather are in the forefront with a pleasant long finish.
Conclusion
Seeing this was a Davidoff cigar I was not surprised by its construction nor the way it burned and handled itself. The profile was spot on the medium style. I enjoyed the leather, nuts and dried fruits the cigar produced as well as its complexity as the cigar moved on. The metallic taste I got hurt the overall balance of the smoke and really off put my palate. I wish the flavors were a bit more intense and the finishes a bit longer. I would revisit this cigar in a few months as I’d like to see how it rounds out. As I said I’ve enjoyed the Davidoff Zodiac cigars and if you’ve smoke them already I would continue to check them out.
In a significant milestone for the cigar industry, veteran tobacco expert Eladio Diaz is launching a celebratory cigar in honor of his 70th birthday. This comes after Diaz, a former associate of Davidoff, established his own Dominican factory, Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera, in 2022.
The new cigar, aptly named the Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario, will make its debut at the upcoming InterTabac trade show in Dortmund, Germany. Initially intended for the European market, the cigar showcases an intriguing mix of tobacco from different origins. It combines an Ecuadoran wrapper, a Mexican binder, and five various types of Dominican tobacco in the filler. The exact varietals of these tobaccos are being kept secret by Diaz, who has crafted the cigar to present a medium-to-full bodied strength.
Historically, Eladio Diaz has been known for blending special cigars for his birthday celebration. These were not commercially available but were given as gifts to friends and visitors. The tradition continues with the Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario, albeit with a new twist – these cigars will be available for sale.
The number seven plays a significant role in the making of this blend. Diaz began his journey with tobacco at the age of seven, marking 63 years in the industry this year. Moreover, the cigar measures 7 inches in length and comprises seven different tobacco leaves. In a reflection of this theme, the cigar will be sold in boxes of 14 (a multiple of seven), with a total production limited to 1,400 boxes.
Diaz, expressing his sentiments about the new cigar to Cigarjournal, said, “It is a slightly sweet and spicy tobacco, which seeks a complete stimulation of the mouth, with a very harmonious creamy sensation, balanced and complex in a medium-high body.” He added, humorously, that the cigar “burns regularly and is not badly built at all.”
The presentation of the Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario at the InterTabac show marks a significant evolution in Diaz’s journey. He, along with his wife Griselda Cabrera, his sons Héctor, Emmanuel, and Alexander, and close collaborator José Ignacio Vásquez, originally intended the Tabacalera Diaz Cabrera for the production of private labels. Now, Diaz is transitioning from solely manufacturing for others to establishing his own brand in the market.
In addition to the celebratory Eladio Diaz 70 Aniversario, the company is also planning a regular production line expected to be sold in U.S. stores before the end of the year, demonstrating the brand’s aspiration to grow and cater to a wider global audience.
The Loch Lomond Distillery has secured the title of “most awarded distillery” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023, collecting multiple Double Gold and Gold Awards for its malt whisky brands.
Located near Scotland’s Loch Lomond, the distillery has a history that spans over 200 years. It produces three distinct whisky styles: Loch Lomond Whiskies, a Scotch single malt; Spearhead, a single grain whisky; and its recent product, Noble Rebel, a blended malt Scotch whisky.
At the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023, these brands collectively received 21 awards, resulting in the distillery being named ‘Most Awarded Distillery of the Year’.
Over the past few years, Loch Lomond Distillery has seen an increase in market presence due to focused efforts and investment.
The distillery’s achievements at the competition have underscored its standing as a consistent and quality whisky producer. It earned a total of nine Double Gold Awards, seven Gold Awards, and five Silver Awards for various core range and limited-edition products. The Double Gold winners included the Open Course Collection and the Open Special Edition, two releases marking the partnership between Loch Lomond Whiskies and The Open Golf Championship.
Loch Lomond Distillery adopts a unique approach to whisky making and uses different engineering methods to create distinct flavor profiles.
All three brands—Loch Lomond Whiskies, Spearhead, and Noble Rebel—maintain their unique processes. Notably, the Loch Lomond Distillery uses both traditional Swan Neck Stills and unique Straight Neck stills in its whisky-making process. This use of Straight Neck Stills allows the Master Blender to alter the flavor during distillation, resulting in a lighter spirit with a distinct fruit flavor. The distillery is also one of only four in Scotland to have an onsite cooperage, allowing complete oversight over barrel repairs and charring.
Colin Matthews, Chief Executive of the Loch Lomond Group, stated that the distillery’s recent investment has facilitated the expansion of their whisky making capabilities and the development of new styles. The more than 20 individual awards received by their whiskies highlight the work done to define their ranges, a noteworthy development in their strategic plans.
Loch Lomond Whiskies, one of the top 25 fastest-growing single malt brands, is a Scotch whisky known for its unique blend of fruit, honey, and soft smoke notes. It has created several limited-edition golf-inspired single malts that were recognized at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Spearhead, a single grain whisky, is distilled from 100% malted barley in a copper Coffey still, and then finished in infrared toasted barrels.
The distillery’s latest offering, Noble Rebel, a blended malt Scotch whisky collection, was launched in February 2023 and has achieved noticeable market presence in the UK.
The awards received by Loch Lomond Distillery at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023 span its various brands and products, demonstrating its ability to deliver consistent and quality offerings.
The Zino Nicaragua Robusto is produced in Honduras at Davidoff’s Diadema Cigars de Honduras S.A., the same factory that is best known for making Camacho cigars. The Zino brand is under the Davidoff cigar umbrella with the Zino Nicaragua Robusto being a “brand-revamping” of sorts. Over the last decade, Davidoff has issued makeovers for their Camacho, Avo, Cusano, and Winston Churchill brands, etc… The Zino brand has always been associated with a premium cigar reputation and price-point. The Zino Nicaragua Robusto would be marketed more as a value smoke sold not only through tobacconists, but convenience stores as well.
Blend Specifics
Cigar Reviewed: Zino Nicaragua Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
Binder: Nicaragua (Semilla 56 Seco)
Filler: Dominican Republic (San Vicente and San Vicente Mejorado Secos), Honduras (Olancho and Jamastran Visus) & Nicaragua (Ometepe Visus)
Size: 5×54
Blind Review Notes: Zino Nicaragua
Appearance & Construction
The cigar is a spongy Connecticut wrapped Robusto with a triple cap. It has a very lightweight feel in hand. The wrapper leaf is very striated but there is still this high quality silkiness and sheen to it.
Flavor & Smoke Characteristics
The cigar wrapper smells like hay bales and the foot is heavy on the cedar. The cold draw has some resistance with more heavy cedar on the breath. Some dankness there as well.
The cigar toasts and lights effortlessly.
First puff is all cedar and leather. White pepper and some sweetness growing on the finish as the smoke progresses. Even burn line. Great smoke production. Good heat maintenance. Chocolate and leather aroma. The retro hale is the same, just with some added pepper. Ash build up is flaky and delicate. A lot of tangy sweet notes dominating a good bodied smoke.
Takes awhile to reach the second third. The cigar is a slow burner. Flavors remain singular. The smoke has some great body to it and is the perfect after breakfast smoke so far. Lots of leather and sweetness. Fantastic construction. It’s a sweet and spicy retrohale and aroma throughout. I’m really enjoying it.
Last third has a spicy toast that coats the palate. Still lots of leather. My favorite. Some hazelnut and coffee notes as expected. Heat trouble going into the nub as expected from lighter tobacco leaves. I still keep returning though as the cigar proves to be a great start to my morning.
Conclusion
In conclusion the Zino Nicaragua Robusto was a great smoke to start my day with. I’m not a mild cigar smoker, but the Zino Nicaragua Robusto made up for that by providing a thick body which carried great flavors. The construction was also decent and I would have no problem recommending this cigar to any smoker at any level. Enjoy!
