Out Of The Box

With 2025 in the rearview, some of last year’s releases promise to define our memories of what was another compelling year in the cigar industry. Perhaps no release turned more heads than the fifth release in Cohiba’s Spectre series, the Spectre 2024. In keeping with previous releases in the Spectre line, the packaging of this cigar is a work of art, a burnished-red cylinder made of interlocking slats of wood. When opened, the slats recede, displaying a metal core: ten cigar tubes arranged around a travel humidor. It’s part midcentury modern, part science fiction, and classic Cohiba. Each cigar starts with Domini can and Mexican fillers, paired with Mexican binders and finished with an American Habano-seed Connecticut wrapper. With only 750 boxes of the Spectre 2024 released last year, expect this release to continue sparking conversation in the cigar community well into 2026. $1,499.90, cohiba.com

PITCH PERFECT

Davidoff is a giant in the cigar business, but every year the company sets aside a limited stock of its cigars to celebrate the milestone achievements of its retailers and distributors. Dubbed the Davidoff Exclusive Series, the 2026 lineup offers three cigars (a Belicoso, a Gran Toro, and a Perfecto) exclusively packaged for individual retailers. A celebration of the customer-facing side of the cigar industry, this year’s exclusive partnerships include country-specific releases, as well as a few shop-specific partner ships. (With only 11 partnerships on this year’s list, the 2026 lineup gives another meaning to the “Exclusive” moniker). In the northeast, that short list of partner shops includes Jersey’s very own The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood, which has long been an outpost for Davidoff. The shop is home to a private Davidoff Lounge, and is in fact the only Davidoff Appointed Merchant in the area. 300 shop-exclusive boxes of the

SHORT AND SWEET

The Viaje Super Shot first came on the scene in 2012, are lease from a boutique brand that was quickly making a name for itself as a master of the limited release. As Viaje founder Andre Farkas tells it, he was in the market for a short cigar that could be smoked during rounds of wintertime clay shooting. In the years since, the Shotgun Shells Super Shots has become something of a cold weather favorite, short robustos that are perfect for those times of year when you might not want to linger out of doors. The 2026 release of the Super Shots sees two sizes hitting the market, a 10 Gauge (3 1/2 by 54) and a 12 Gauge (3 1/4 by 52), both of which are Nicaraguan puros highlighted by a criollo wrapper. This is a cigar made for short, brisk walks, quick sojourns on the back deck, or a break during a long day of shooting the Viaje Shotgun Shells Super Shots make even the smallest moment extraordinary. Box of 25 – $200/190 (10 Gauge/12 Gauge), viajecigars.com

A Champion Pick

As the NFL playoffs wind down, the prospect of a long offseason looms ahead. Before the dog days are upon us, though, celebrate the 2025-26 NFL season with one last hurrah, courtesy of Knob Creek and superstar Eli Manning. The culmination of a season-long partnership between the distiller and quarterback, Eli Manning’s Bold Pick: 2026 Batch is a single barrel cask strength bourbon hand-selected by Manning himself at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky. Bottled straight from the barrel, unfiltered and uncut, this bold, robust bourbon opens with notes of vanilla and oak, giving way to a nutty, spiced and full-bodied finish. It’s as pure as bourbon can get; proofs even vary from bottle to bottle, ranging from 112.2 to 121.6. Hand-picked to be savored during big moments, this is a bourbon worthy of greatness, on the field or off. $69.99, knobcreek.com

BOSS MOVES

There’s always anticipation surrounding a new release from WhistlePig, but The Boss Hog XII: Feather & Flame arrives with a particular sense of ceremony. As the latest chapter in the distillery’s ultra-limited Boss Hog series each edition inspired by a larger-than-life historical figure this expression honors the balance of strength and grace embodied by its namesake, Queen Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba. It’s a whiskey built not just to impress, but to tell a story through time, fire, and craft. At the heart of Feather & Flame is WhistlePig’s signature straight rye, elevated through an ambitious finishing regimen that leans into contrast. After extended aging, the whiskey is finished in a combination of casks designed to evoke both delicacy and intensity, coaxing out layers of spice, toasted sugar, and subtle fruit while preserving the rye’s bold backbone. The result is a pour that moves fluidly between power and finesse silky on the palate, yet unapologetically robust. Like every Boss Hog release, Feather & Flame is bottled at barrel strength and presented in individually numbered decanters, complete with the series’ iconic pewter topper. $670, whistlepigwhiskey.com