British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was known for being an avid cigar smoker. Among his favourite brands were Romeo and Juliet, and Camacho. In fact, six years ago, a Camacho cigar that belonged to Churchill was estimated to be worth between $1,500- $,2200 by the auction company Christie’s.

The company Camacho Cigars was founded in 1961 in Miami and quickly rose to find a prominent place in the cigar world. Today, the brand produces cigars from different price ranges, and different strengths. The newest edition to Camacho is the American Barrel Aged cigar. The tobacco leaves used to create this cigar have been aged in charred Kentucky bourbon and American oak barrels for six years. Using aged tobacco is common practice for fine cigars, but using a whisky barrel is rather new.

If my memory serves me correctly, Gurkha was one of the first cigar companies to experiment with adding flavours of alcohol with cigars. They came out with a cognac infused cigar called Gurkha HMR. Another cigar company to follow this trend is Asylum. Their Dragon’s Milk cigar is blended with stout beer.

In Camacho’s case, the American Barrel Aged does not have any whiskey deliberately added, but rather the flavour is infused through the natural aging process. This is my first time trying a Camacho- if it was good enough for Churchill I am certain it will be good enough for me.

The size I have selected is a 5 by 52. The label is bright and quite large and takes up one third of the cigar, and Camacho is spelled across in capital letters.Previously, a much smaller label with just the letter C was used.

Moving on to the construction, the surface is smooth, no large veins are visible on the tobacco leaves. The tobacco wrapper is an American broadleaf with a nice dark brown colour. To go with this cigar, I am opting for a Gibson’s Finest whisky, aged 12 years, which is a Canadian whisky.I light up, and inhale a few puffs. So far so good. The flavour is quite rich and satisfying. You can also taste hints of smooth malt. The Gibson pairs well. Solid whiskey flavour with a hint of sweetness. As I work through Camacho, I am pleased with the flavour construction. Despite being a smoke it tastes like a fine glass of whisky. The flavour is smooth and well rounded. Even though this cigar is on the strong side, it does not have the heavy bold taste that some strong cigars posses. Other flavours that pop up are licorice, black cherry, and leather. I am genuinely impressed. The last third of the cigar slowly increases in strength, and reminds me of a glass of bourbon on fire. I suspect this taste comes from the charred bourbon barrels. Nevertheless, it is a nice surprise ending. I think I may have found a new favourite.

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