Vitola: Corona- 5.75” x 43 ring gauge
- MSRP $7.50
- Provided by Villiger Cigars
Background
Maybe the third time around is the charm…someone certainly hopes so for La Libertad by Villiger Cigars. I originally reviewed something called La Libertad all the way back in 2011. That blend had Peruvian Habano wrapper and binder leaves, along with Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. In 2019 I reviewed an updated Libertad that used Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers still, but a Nicaraguan binder, and Brazilian wrapper. In 2021, a new blend (and new packaging) was issued by Villiger with a Nicaraguan Criollo wrapper from Jalapa, a Dominican binder, and fillers from Jalapa and Esteli in Nicaragua.
They recently sent me a care packaging with one each of the new sizes of the blend, along with a small bottle of Jack Daniels Barrel Reserve Select. Unfortunately, the JD did not make it to this review date, but I still have a Corona size of La Libertad left over, and will pair it with some other whiskey that should go well with it.
Notes
The packaging reminds me a lot of the original release packaging. It’s good, but doesn’t really fit in with the aesthetic that Villiger had been producing for the last half decade or more. Maybe they just felt it was time to move on.
The wrapper leaf was a dark chocolate brown that made me think it would be a Maduro…but they aren’t advertising it as such. The aroma from it was damp wood and earth, with just a touch of hay. The foot had a slightly richer earthiness with touches of dark cherry and cocoa powder in the mix.
After clipping, the cold draw was pretty good, certainly as good as you can generally expect on a Corona vitola. It had notes of earth and dry cocoa powder and baking spice.
I was given the final pour of a bottle of Rowan’s Creek Bourbon, a 100 proof whiskey from the fine folks at Willett.
The bourbon was a little spicy and a little sweet, a nice mix of the two things I like most about bourbon. The cigar was medium-plus in body with a easy mix of semi-sweet chocolate, dark fruit, espresso bean, and earth. There was some wood and pepper spice on the retrohale.
The third version of La Libertad was good, but I had trouble finding “greatness” in it. I would gladly smoke it again, but I can’t say I would seek it out.
