A Rolls-Royce cigar lounge centerpiece, Glenmorangie’s new winter-inspired whiskey, and 2020’s No. 1 voted cigar just got bigger

By Industry Staff

ROUND TWO
2020’s best cigar is getting a generous upgrade. The E.P. Carrillo Pledge is newly available in an Apogee size, a bulkier version of last year’s award-winning Prequel. The Pledge Apogee and Pledge Prequel boast an identical blend, with the newer cigar clocking in at a sizeable 58 ring gauge. Its debut brings the Pledge line to three sizes; Apogee practically dwarfs the Prequel (50 ring gauge) and Sojourn (52 ring gauge). Apogee starts with a Nicaraguan filler and Ecuadorian binder and is finished with a Connecticut Habano wrapper. It’s a bold, spicy smoke with peppery licorice notes. E.P. Carrillo keeps turning out winners, and we’ll happily keep smoking them. $15/cigar, carrillocigars.com

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Cigar City Brewing in Tampa Bay, Florida, has always been destined to show up in our humidors. A recently announced collaboration with Punch Cigars is finally making the dream a reality. While beer and cigars don’t always play well together, Cigar City Brewing Maduro by Punch is specially designed to bring out the best in both partners. Think a rich, woody smoke with hints of black cherry and cocoa. The cigar is Honduran down to the screws, from wrapper to filler. Cigar City’s house brown ale is also called Maduro you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out the ideal pairing here. Stay away from hoppy IPAs if you can, as the flavors tend to muddle. These cigars are delivered in rugged 20-count boxes in magnum and toro sizes. Pick up a twelve pack and make it a party. $8.29/cigar (magnum), $8.49/cigar (toro), punchcigars.com

WHISKEY BY THE FIRE
Lots of whiskeys claim to transport you. A Tale of Winter, a new release from Glen morangie, might actually deliver. Think snowstorms, wool socks, and blankets, plus a tumbler’s worth of this single malt Scotch. A Tale of Winter is finished in Sicilian marsala casks and has notes and aromas of honey, fruit, and toffee. It’s a deliberately warm expression that plays well in cocktails hot or cold. It’s all an overt homage to the concept of hygge, the Danish term for coziness and comfort that has taken over the internet the past couple of years. It’s a fun choice for a brand with plenty of cache. The label looks like your grandma knitted it, and that’s a good thing. $109.99, glenmorangie.com

ROLLING IN STYLE
For an exquisite lounge centerpiece, the British ultra-luxury marque Rolls-Royce recently lifted the veil on this mega-rich, gloriously over-the-top cigar and whiskey box. Composed of polished aluminum and enveloped with authentic Havana leather, the Cellarette Cigar and Whiskey Box opens like a musical jewelry box to reveal a platter of giddying accessories, including a pair of hand-blown lowball glasses engraved with Rolls’ initials. A leather-lined bottle holder can accommodate bottles of varying sizes, secured by an aluminum fastener. On the other end of the chest, a humidor houses a cigar tray lined with Spanish cedar wood and features a hygrometer to maintain proper humidity levels. Finally, the stunning fold-up serving tray is covered in Obsidian Ayous open-pore veneer and inlaid with the automaker’s iconic Spirit of Ecstasy. uncrate.com

A Poetic Pour
The legacy of Ernest Hemingway needs no shoring up. Papa’s Pilar Rum celebrates the man and the myth with its Legacy Edition 2021 dark rum. The distillery works directly with the Hemingway family and sits just yards from where Hemingway once docked his boat in Key West. This product screams premium: it comes gloved in a pure leather retrofitted canteen wrap and sports a retro bottle cap chain. Inside all this loveliness is a blend of nine rums crafted by Papa’s Pilar master blender Ron Call. A semi-sweet nose gives way to a full-bodied sip with hints of vanilla and dark chocolate. Serve neat or on the rocks. For the adventurous, the distiller also recreates its tasting room experience in a gift set featuring four rums. It’s the next best thing to winter in Key West. $77.99, shoppapapilarrum.com