It’s been often said that Sir Winston Churchill would spend time in the Late Hours behind closed doors working in solitude or with trusted colleagues. During these Late Hour moments he was never without a cigar and often he was with an exceptional scotch as well. Davidoff brings together that moment with the Winston Churchill Late Hour. The Late Hour cigar is meant to be enjoyed when the end of the evening is the start of something more; when thoughts and discussions weave interesting paths into the night.
It’s a cigar that was ranked #3 by our friends at Cigar Journal Magazine, and today we look at the Winston Churchill Late Hour Robusto.
Cigar: Winston Churchill Late Hour
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: San Andres Negro (Mexico)
Filler: : Dominican (Olor Viso, Piloto Seco and San Vicente Mejorado Viso), Nicaraguan (Condega Viso aged in Single Malt Scotch Barrels, Estelí Viso)
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Robusto
The Look: The cigars come packaged in beautiful black boxes that are reminiscent of the Davidoff Nicaragua line, with a slide top. Inside, the cigars are featured in two rows of 10. The Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour has two bands with the primary band featuring the silhouette of Winston Churchill in gold on a black background with Davidoff in italic cursive. The secondary band has block letters in gold on black denoting The Late Hour. The wrapper has a nice amount of oils on it and a network of thin veins. It’s well packed and the foot of the cigar showcases some darker tobaccos in the center of the blend.
The Notes: The cold draw of the Late Hour has that classic Davidoff profile of earth and barnyard notes but there is also a sweetness that reminds me of raisins. There is also a hint of Speyside scotch that is more dominant on the aroma of the foot. Once the cigar is lit, there is a slight vegetal earthy note that takes hold of the palate but it quickly fades to reveal hints of oak and raisins.
The sweetness of Winston Churchill Late Hour continues as we transition into the second third of the cigar. There is continued notes of earth, with elements of hay and rye. Its more robust than then you would expect from Davidoff and there is some notes that are synonymous with single malt scotches such as my personal favorite Glenfiddich 15 years. The retrohale is remarkably smooth with a vanilla like sweetness.
As the experience known as Winston Churchill Late Hour comes to a close the vanilla like notes from the retrohale are visible on the palate. There raisin like sweetness remains as well, but the star of the show is the oak like finish of this impeccable cigar.
The Finish: If I was asked for one cigar that would pair well with a single malt scotch, the Davidoff Winston Churchill would be that cigar. It’s smooth with touches of sweetness and oak, much like you would expect from good single malt. $17.69 and a double of Glenfiddch at $28 isn’t a cheap night out, but it would definitely remove the stress from my day.
Score: 92
Price: $17.69 / $332.99
Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour
Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour Foot
