It may have taken a year or two, but I've come to realize that Whiskey Row from Diesel Cigars is the Ford Mustang of the cigar world. People tend to either love it or hate on it, and often argue over its significance for one reason or another.

Big, bold, and loaded with boozy barrel-aged Rabbit Hole Distillery tannin undertones, this original blend from AJ Fernandez has seen unbridled levels of success, with sales resembling those of the iconic American pony car. 

But because this blend has become so ubiquitous, people tend to disregard it as nothing all that special. Barrel-aged cigar snobs are usually the first to write this stick off as anything but exceptional, claiming that just like a base-grade Mustang GT, it's just a bourbon-barrel-aged blend for beginners. From a performance perspective, it's perfectly fine for daily driving, but it's not going to provide the sort of experience that will truly move you.

So while it may be no Shelby GT500, the original Whiskey Row has earned a lot of praise over the years from daily puffers and trained cigar snobs with discerning palates, with a 91 rating from Cigar Aficionado being perhaps the most notable.

Hell, I guess that means I need to take this blend for a spin and throw my quasi-quotable critique up onto the ol' interweb for consideration. It's not like it's going to encourage Challenger and Camaro owners to suddenly shift gears and drive a Ford for a change, right? 

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Unlit Impressions 

Double-banded top and bottom, with both bands being of significant size, Diesel’s 60-ring-gauge, 6-inch long Gigante version feels more akin to a stick of dynamite in hand than an oversized vitola at first.

Gorgeously rolled, with nary a sign of blemish or rough vein to be seen, the five-year-aged Ecuadorian habano cigar wrapper on the outside comes cleanly capped. Atop it, thick matte paper and embossed lettering make packaging seem both rough-cut and strikingly stylish all at once.

A whiff or two produces subtle amounts of sticky sweet bourbon barrel oak tannin goodness, unrefined sugar, and a spicy pop of farmhouse funk and Nicaraguan tobacco. There are also splashes of vanilla, a hint of apples and allspice, and plenty of cedar, along with the scent of old leather-bound books, complete with the divine scent of really high-grade paper.

Dry-tasting cold pulls are nuanced by a surprisingly subtle level of charred bourbon barrel sweetness, and a peppery nicotine punch along the palate that is impossible to misidentify. This is more akin to what was found on the nose when whiffing down the length of that shiny red habano cigar wrapper than what was detected in the foot on the majority of the cigars smoked.

Tobacco Nerd Note: According to sources close to the project, repurposed Rabbit Hole Distillery bourbon barrels first began arriving at AJ Fernandez’s facilities in 2016, leaving him ample room to tinker with this previously unfamiliar form of alcohol-infused tobacco aging. 

Initial Smoke

Fuse lit, this creative collaboration venture between the two very different boutique adult-oriented brands slowly begins to burn. It's a dry and sweet taste that is also a sensation in itself, and one that is just as creamy as it is clean and distinctly habano-backed and cedar-stacked.

Due to its sweet whiskey aroma, one might expect to find loads of bourbon flavor right away, but that is not so much the case with this blend's beginning. For this large cigar, whiskey mash alchemy doesn’t truly begin to show itself until well past the five-minute mark.

1st Half

Subtle and welcoming, the sticky mash sweetness caramelizes and blends with retro nasal exhales before dropping the clutch and shifting this V8-sized powerhouse into first. Showcasing an increasing amount of strength, with flavor levels and body trailing behind by at least 5000 rpm, Whiskey Row throws a punch of power at you. Cinnamon and sugar-caked graham cracker tastes can be found all over the cigar flavor profile wheel here, accented by a vanilla note that harkens back to those bourbon barrels. 

There’s also a prominent scent of cedar as the first half begins to transition into the second, and with more oak tannins and sun-grown spice building behind it all, things take an uptick into medium-full. Sweeter and stronger in its nuttiness (I detected more hazelnut than anything), the second third slathers your palate with an extra layer of barrel-aged smoke and increased body to match the flavor wheel's medium-full mark. Retrohales are spicy, bright, sweet, and distinctly cedar, oak, and sun-grown, with smoke production remaining outstanding even with a punch. 

One intriguing side-effect of all of this is the aromatic plumes of dense smoke that are emitted. Depending on personal preferences and olfactory sensitivity, the scent of this cigar will likely prove to be quite pleasing to those around you, regardless of whether or not they are cigar smokers.

Tobacco Nerd Note: After many months of testing, AJ discovered that utilizing a blend of five to eight-year vintage long-filler tobaccos was the card that had been missing from the deck all along. Plucked from his farms in the Ometepe, Jalapa, and Condega regions of Nicaragua, AJ’s proprietary blend of bold internal tobacco strains provides the backbone that the bourbon barrel-aged Mexican San Andrés binder leaf required from the get-go. 

2nd Half

As if simultaneously instructed to downshift, cinnamon graham cracker cereal tastes return for a fantastic flavor pop right as the second third ends. Spice, strength, flavor, and body are all big and borderline full, and secondary tastes and aromas of bourbon and oak remain steadfast. 

No longer nearly as sweet and sticky, but still tasting like it should be, the blend continues to grow drier as it goes. Forming a far more cedar-focused flavor and aroma, the final third begins with a slow yet steady 60-gauge burn rate.

Ash discarded, a potent char flavor begins to build, one that is primed with oaky tannins stemming from that San Andrés bourbon barrel-aged cigar binder. It is here that things fully cross over to the nicotine-rich side of the street, so be sure to take it easy on whatever booze you’ve been pairing with this bad boy or you might be seeing vapor trails before too long. 

Tobacco Nerd Note: Unbeknownst to much of the public, legacy cigar manufacturers like Perdomo have been aging a vast array of cigar tobacco selections in bourbon barrels for decades and just not blatantly advertising the act. 

Parting Puffs

As the final section of Whiskey Row comes into sight, a Gigante-sized slug of intensity forms, with the body, strength, and flavor of the cigar all receiving injections of adrenaline. Forget all of those prior notions of medium-strength smoking pleasure and subtle nuances. AJ Fernandez is flexing all of his cigar-blending muscle in the best possible way, and there’s nothing you can do about it but sit back and soak it all in.

But as those cedar notes do their final tango with your tonsils, a dry, charry taste takes over. It's still intensely aromatic, with a long finish reminding you that this cigar has been built for those who prefer to go all-in.

Personally, my palate finds parting puffs on this blend to be a touch too rough around the edges. And with nicotine, pepper heat, and a metallic taste showing up in hefty amounts in each cigar, I was forced to deduct points on every stick smoked in this closing section.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Construction and burn tends to be nothing short of sturdy thanks again to that 60-ring gauge. Diesel’s signature Gigante cigar type holds a very nice white/grey ash and produces plenty of smoke. Only one significant touch-up was required on the review cigar, with the other sticks being completely worry-free.

Final Thoughts

So how does this oversized toro taste once set ablaze with a bespoke torch lighter, sans bourbon? According to the notes in my Bucksaw cigar journal, just a few clicks south of stellar.

Much like the New World Dorado by AJ Fernandez, buckling up for this ride is a calling card for both Whiskey Row and its Nicaraguan cigar manufacturer. The toasted hazelnut notes that the Ecuadorian habano wrapper imparts upon the palate are a particularly tasty touch, and the way in which cedar mixes with oak tannins and touches of sour mash whiskey and vanilla is wonderful. Like almost every other AJ Fernandez product I've smoked, it's also a really great burner, with the Gigante vitola adding further structure to the entire smoking experience. 

Brilliantly executed from pre-light all the way to the start of parting puffs, this collaborative endeavor between Rabbit Hole Distillery and one of the greatest master blenders of our era serves as a shining example of what barrel-aged cigar making is all about. Regardless of what you drive, this bold blend is sure to win fans of stronger cigars over, and provide a smoking session that is sure to take you from 0–60 and back again in no time.

Flavor, Aroma & Transitions

Depth & Complexity

Construction, Burn & Physical Appeal

Backstory & Branding

Overall Balance & Repeatability

Stogie Specs