Cigar Review: Dragon’s Milk by Asylum

• Vitola: Toro Grande
• 7” x 52 ring gauge
• ~$17.00
• Purchased at Silo Cigars

Background

A decade and a half or so ago, someone thought it would be grand to start making cigars with comically out-sized ring gauges…today those 60 ring fatties are just a starting place. A while back someone started the Ligero Wars in an attempt to see just how strong a cigar could be without negatively affecting sales; while there are still strong sticks making it to market, there doesn’t seem to be a competition anymore to see whose is strongest. A newer trend is making cigars that are specifically meant to be paired with some beverage…DRAM Cigars are blended for a variety of pairings, Gramercy’s Veritas blend was meant as a Scotch pairing, and Perdomo’s newest line of sticks has 3 wrapper varieties to go with 3 different types of craft beer. In a twist to the trend, several companies are using tobacco that is aged in Bourbon or other types of barrels (not a new practice…the Fuente Añejo wrapper leaf has always been aged in Cognac barrels; more recently Camacho’s American Barrel Aged uses some Honduran Corojo aged in Bourbon barrels). Into this current trend steps Asylum Cigars with Dragon’s Milk.

Dragon’s Milk is a product of New Holland Brewery in Michigan. They make an Imperial Stout that they age in Bourbon barrels, then when finished, they send those barrels back and have more Bourbon aged in what are now “Bourbon Beer Barrels.” Then when that is done, they are sending those same barrels to Nicaragua to age these very special Asylum Cigars in. So not only are they meant to be a perfect accompaniment to either Dragon’s Milk Reserve Stout or Beer Barrel Bourbon, but they are meant to be a highly unique cigar on its own.

Asylum Dragon’s Milk is a Nicaraguan puro. I am smoking my very first one for purposes of this review and I bought it at Silo Cigars in Knoxville.

Prelight

The packaging for Dragon’s Milk is a unique almost-milk-carton box with a faux-FDA nutrition label on the side. Once out of the box, the cigar does present immediately as an Asylum, with the skull logo prominent on the front of the band, with a Dragon’s Milk dragon logo in the middle of the head. Other wording identifies the tie-ins with New Holland Brewery and their products, both on the main band and foot band. It’s nice and effective, while not terribly unique or striking in execution.

The wrapper of the cigar was a medium-roast coffee brown with a high oil content and a bit of darker mottling. Giving it a sniff, I picked up mostly earth and leather, with maybe just a hint of the oak barrel the cigars were aged in. The foot of the cigar had much more aroma from the barrel, though, with a yeasty bread note, oak and vanilla laid over underlying earth and chocolate.

After snipping the end, I took a cold draw and got a rich flavor of chocolate, honey, bread, and wood. Second later a spicy tingle came through on my lips as well. You can definitely tell something other than straight tobacco is happening here.

Flavor

When I got the Dragon’s Milk fired up, I tasted loads of oak right off the bat, with lesser notes of earth and cocoa powder and red pepper on the palate. The retrohale was shot through with more red pepper and roasted nut notes. As I worked my way through the first third, I got notes of the stout that was aged in the barrel and a leathery flavor emerged toward the end of the third. This was medium-to-full at the outset and quickly worked its way into being a full-bodied stick.

During the second third, I got more earth and coffee from the Dragon’s Milk, along with a sweet chocolate note. The stout notes were a constant undertone and there were hints of vanilla from the Bourbon and oak, as well.

In the last third the flavors of the Dragon’s Milk kind of fell flat. There were hints of what came before, but nothing like the intensity of what I had been getting up to that point.

Construction

The draw was very good on this cigar. The ash was solid up to half an inch and the burn line was very even with no need for touch ups.

Value

The price on this one is really high…like Davidoff or Padron 1964 Anniversary Series high…and while it was good, I didn’t feel it really measured up to that kind of competition. I would smoke it again, but I wouldn’t buy it again for this price.

Conclusions

For 2/3 of the cigar, the Dragon’s Milk was a very interesting and unique cigar that I rather enjoyed. But then there is that final third, which just didn’t measure up. Overall the cigar was good and perhaps it would be even better when paired with the beer or whiskey that was aged in the same barrels, but judging on its own merits, it’s not something I would buy again. If pairing cigars with a specific beer is something that intrigues you, though, I’d say give it a shot.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8/10

Site sponsor Stogies World Class Cigars has Dragon’s Milk available on their website.