Cigar Review: DRAM Cask #2 by C&C Cigars

• Vitola: Churchill
• 7” x 50 ring gauge
• ~$10.50
• Purchased at Maxamar

Background

DRAM Cigars is a line first introduced in mid-2014 by the Orleans Group and C&C Cigars. The basic premise was to create cigars to specifically complement certain types of whiskey…a cigar that is perfect for the cigar and whiskey aficionado…or as I like to refer to us, leaf and grain enthusiasts. They created 4 different blends, named Cask 1, Cask 2, Cask 3, and Cask 4 that were keyed to different types of whiskey.

On my recent trip to California, I saw these cigars at Maxamar for the first time and decided to pick up a couple for reviewing purposes. Today I’m looking at the Cask 2, a double corojo keyed to woody and spicy libations. The cigars are made in the Dominican Republic and, as mentioned, this has a Corojo wrapper leaf, but the remaining components are not disclosed.

In researching, I saw that my friend, Will Cooper, decided to smoke these “as intended”…part of a whiskey pairing. I am opting to do my regular review process and evaluate the cigars on their own, without the whiskey…but I will keep open the option of adding in some whiskey to the review if I feel like it will profoundly increase the enjoyment of the cigar. This is the first time I’ve smoked this cigar, and I did purchase it at Maxamar.

Prelight

The bands of the DRAM cigars have a wealth of information about what the cigar is (Cask No. 2), what they are made for (“Cigars for whiskey”), and what kind of whiskey you should pair it with (Woody/Spicy). I do wish they had bothered to note what type of leaves they used to put this cigar together, but I guess they are feeling that isn’t as important as what to pair the stogie with.

Speaking of the stogie itself, this was a very dark Corojo wrapper leaf. It had touches of reds in a dark brown coloration with a good amount of oils under my fingers and mostly small veins. The aroma from it was woody and leathery, while the foot had earth and hay notes.

The cold draw on the DRAM was very good and I picked up flavors of cedar and earth, along with touches of cinnamon and graham.

Flavor

It took a while to get evenly lit, but once burning, the DRAM Cask 2 had initial notes of wood and earth right up front, followed by slightly sour citrus notes and a finish that was equal parts grassy and mellow red pepper. The retrohale featured more cedar and pepper. The body was in the medium range at the start. The first few minutes of puffing seemed like the cigar was mostly (perhaps completely) Dominican in makeup. As the first third continued on, I got more graham notes mixed with pepper heat that had mellowed to more of a black pepper level.

As I headed into the second third, the DRAM Cask 2 was in the medium-to-full bodied zone with plenty of Dominican earthiness and cedar notes. The pepper had diminished to almost nothing on the tongue and nose. The retrohale had more woody and almost-cinnamon notes to it.

The last third featured more spice in the form of a cinnamon heat, along with the ever-present earth and cedar notes.

Construction

I had a hard time keeping the cigar lit evenly, needing to touch it up frequently and puff hard on it at times, which was a bit frustrating. The draw was very good, though, and the ash held on for a good long time.

Value

The price point for the DRAM series is pretty good, just edging over the $10 mark for the larger sizes, like this Churchill. Overall, I’d say pretty good value for a nicely complex and flavorful Dominican smoke.

Conclusions

The DRAM Cask 2 definitely held up the promise of woody and spicy that was printed on the band and I judge that it would definitely work well in a pairing situation with a woody and spicy whiskey. That being said, it also held up quite well on its own, with a nice complexity and medium-to-full body that kept my interest for well over an hour. This cigar has almost been forgotten, but I would say definitely give it a try if it sounds like something in your wheelhouse and if you can find any.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10

A variety of DRAM cigars are available at Stogies World Class Cigars.