2019 Cigar of the Year Countdown #21: Diesel Whiskey Row Churchill

“The Diesel Whiskey Row is a very nice cigar line, but it is the Churchill-size that is perhaps the most overlooked.”

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: San Andres Maduro (Aged in Rabbit Hole Bourbon Barrels)
Filler: Nicaraguan (Ometepe, Condega, Jalapa) – Aged Five to Eight Years
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez
Churchill: 7 x 49
Price: $8.49
Review: Diesel Whiskey Row Churchill (5/22/19)
Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Brand): 6 (2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Coming in at #21 is the Diesel Whiskey Row Churchill by General Cigar Company. For many years, Diesel was a staple of Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG)’s Cigar International catalog. In 2017, STG made the decision to shift Diesel into the General Cigar Company portfolio and offer it as a brick and mortar offering. In 2018, Diesel embarked on one of its most significant projects to date – the Diesel Whiskey Row. Led by Justin Andrews, Diesel Whiskey Row would be a collaboration between General Cigar, AJ Fernandez, and Rabbit Hole Distillery. Whiskey Row became a hit for General Cigar – and it’s the Churchill size from this line that lands on this year’s Countdown.

Rabbit Hole Distillery is a small company based out of Louisville, Kentucky that produces bourbon, rye, and gin products. The Diesel Whiskey Row features Mexican San Andres binder leaves that are aged in barrels originally used for Rabbit Hole Bourbon, utilizing a proprietary process that has been developed by Fernandez. The San Andres binder was combined with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan tobaccos aged five to eight years. The Churchill size is 7 x 49 offering.

The Diesel Whiskey Row Churchill gives General Cigar a spot on the Countdown for the sixth time in the past ten years. It’s the first time the Diesel brand has landed on a Countdown. The Whiskey Row Churchill is the first Churchill to place on the 2019 Countdown.

Flavorwise, the Diesel Whiskey Row Churchill delivered notes of oak, cream, sweet natural tobacco, char, and black pepper. The San Andres leaf aged in the bourbon barrels doesn’t create an infused flavor, but rather enhances the flavors. This is specifically seen through the oak, char and natural tobacco notes. The flavors delivered are medium to full-bodied countered by medium strength.

As mentioned, the Diesel Whiskey Row became a hit, but it was perhaps the Churchill size that was most overlooked. This is also a cigar that has gotten better with age. In the end, the Diesel Whiskey Row Churchill takes its place among 2019’s best offerings.