Lash Ash Newsletter June 2026

The Last Ash Newsletter

June 2026

The Last Ash | June Edition

         Summer doesn't announce itself gently. It arrives the way a full-bodied Nicaraguan arrives on a cold draw — immediately, deliberately, and with no apologies. June is the month when the ritual shifts. The humidor gets checked more often. The back patio becomes the boardroom. The evening light hangs around long enough to justify a second smoke, and nobody needs much convincing. For those of us who measure the seasons not by the calendar but by what's resting in the ashtray, June is one of the finest months on the ledger.

          This issue of The Last Ash arrives loaded. We've been in the cigar shops, behind the bar, and deep in the humidors tracking down what's worth your time and your lighter this summer. The premium cigar world doesn't slow down when the temperature climbs — if anything, it gets more interesting. New releases are hitting shelves, older blends are finally showing what they're capable of after a proper rest, and the pairing conversations are getting more creative as craft spirits continue to push the category forward. We're covering all of it with the same standard we always bring: enthusiast-to-enthusiast, no filler, no fluff — just the honest word from people who actually smoke these things.

          Beyond the leaf, June feels like a moment to recalibrate. To set down the noise, step outside, and remember what it feels like to be unhurried. A great cigar has always been the best argument against rushing. Whether you're working through a new box of something you've been anticipating for months, revisiting an old favorite that's been quietly aging in the back of your collection, or finally cracking that bottle you've been saving for the right occasion — this is your season. The Last Ash exists for exactly these moments. So pull up a chair, pour something worthy, and let's get into it. June is here, and it's bringing some of the best tobacco we've talked about all year.

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Cigar Companion: The Best Hardware for Every Smoker

Xifei Scissors Cigar Cutter Stainless Steel

There is a moment before every great smoke that doesn't get nearly enough credit. It happens in the seconds between pulling a cigar from the humidor and putting flame to foot — the inspection, the squeeze, the decision about how you're going to open it. That moment is the cut, and any serious smoker knows that a bad one can compromise everything that follows. A torn wrapper, a ragged cap, a draw that pulls tight or collapses entirely — these are the small tragedies of an improper cut, and they are entirely preventable with the right tool in hand. The XIFEI Scissors Cigar Cutter in stainless steel understands this assignment completely. It is not a novelty, not a conversation piece dressed up in unnecessary bulk — it is a precision instrument built around a single non-negotiable requirement: giving your cigar exactly the opening it deserves, every single time.

What separates the XIFEI scissors-style cutter from the crowded field of guillotine cutters comes down to control. The classic double guillotine system delivers clean, precise cuts every time, while the scissor-style design provides better control and enhanced stability, with an ergonomic structure that allows for smooth, one-handed operation. That distinction matters more than it sounds. Where a standard guillotine asks you to align the cigar, press, and hope, the scissor format puts the action in your fingers — you feel the blades closing, you govern the speed and angle of the cut, and the result is a level of repeatability that collectors and daily smokers alike will notice immediately. The double cut blades are crafted from premium 440 stainless steel — sharp, hard, and rust-proof — with precision-engineered blade angles that provide optimal cut depth across small and large ring gauges equally well, handling cigars up to 78 ring gauge with the same clean authority it brings to a 42. The blade stays in close contact throughout the motion, which means no tearing, no dragging, no ragged edges that unravel mid-smoke. Just a clean, confident opening that respects the cigar you pulled and the time you're about to invest in it.

Beyond performance, the XIFEI carries itself with the quiet confidence of something that knows what it is. The lightweight, slim body reflects exquisite craftsmanship, and the cutter arrives packaged in an elegant gift box — making it as appropriate at the bottom of a travel bag as it is presented alongside a premium cigar on a tray. For the man who takes his smoke seriously without taking himself too seriously, this is the kind of accessory that earns its place without demanding attention. It doesn't need to announce itself. It just needs to perform — and the XIFEI scissors cutter, in stainless steel, does exactly that with the understated precision that the ritual has always deserved. Pick it up once and you'll understand why the cut is never an afterthought.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Mechanica

Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Tourbillon

There are watches, and then there are declarations. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Mechanica Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Tourbillon belongs firmly in the second category — a timepiece that doesn't simply tell you the time so much as it performs it. Unveiled at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2026, this is the kind of release that stops the room, the kind that reminds even the most seasoned collector why they fell in love with fine watchmaking in the first place. In a year when the horological world has been full of bold moves and material innovations, Jaeger-LeCoultre stepped to the podium in their quiet, precise way and reminded everyone who the professors are. This is a watch built not for the casual admirer, but for the man who understands that true luxury is never loud — it is felt.

What makes this particular piece so extraordinary begins with what you can see, and deepens considerably with what you can hear. Driven by the Calibre 362, the movement operates at an almost impossibly slim 5mm — automatic, which is itself a feat of engineering discipline when you consider everything else this watch is doing simultaneously. The open-worked architecture invites the eye inward, past sapphire bridges that frame the movement like a museum exhibit, revealing 593 individual components working in silent, choreographed agreement. At the center of that mechanical conversation sits a flying tourbillon — the watchmaker's answer to gravity, a spinning cage of precision that compensates for positional variance with the calm confidence of something that has nothing to prove. But it is the minute repeater that elevates this watch from remarkable to almost unreasonable in the best possible sense. On demand, the watch chimes the hours, quarter hours, and minutes through a sequence of tones that ring against the wrist like a private concert. In an age where everything is on a screen, here is a complication that communicates through sound — intimate, mechanical, and entirely irreplaceable.

The case is 18K pink gold, and Jaeger-LeCoultre's finishing is, as always, beyond reproach. The guilloché rotor catches light the way a fine spirit catches afternoon sun — with depth, with character, with the quiet suggestion that craftsmanship at this level is never accidental. The Vallée de Joux, the Swiss valley where this watch was conceived and built, has been producing horological miracles for centuries, and the Master Hybris Mechanica carries that lineage in every component. For the gentleman who appreciates the ritual of a well-made thing — the draw of a well-humidified cigar, the weight of a proper glass, the deliberate nature of a slow evening — this watch speaks a familiar language. It asks nothing of you except your attention, and in return it offers something that no smartwatch algorithm, no app notification, no digital complication can replicate: the sound of time, measured by hand, wound by the wrist, and delivered in gold.

S.T. Dupont Porcelain Fender Ashtray

Some accessories exist purely to catch ash. Others exist to anchor a room, start a conversation, and remind everyone in the space that the man who placed it there understands the difference between owning things and curating them. The S.T. Dupont Porcelain Fender Ashtray does both without breaking a sweat. It is the product of an unlikely but completely logical partnership between two houses built on the same obsession — the pursuit of objects so well made that they transcend their original purpose entirely. Fender built guitars that became cultural monuments. S.T. Dupont has spent over 150 years turning lighters, pens, and accessories into heirlooms. When the two sat down together, the result was always going to be something worth talking about. The design roots run deep — drawing from kintsugi, the Japanese tradition of mending broken things with gold rather than hiding the damage, celebrating the fracture as part of the object's history and beauty. That philosophy, applied to a cigar ashtray, produces something genuinely rare in the accessory world: meaning.

The craftsmanship behind this piece reflects everything S.T. Dupont has learned across a century and a half of Parisian luxury production. The body is fine Bone China porcelain — not ceramic, not resin, not a material chosen for cost efficiency — finished in a deep glossy black lacquer with hand-painted gold accents that follow the kintsugi pattern across the surface like veins of precious metal running through stone. The gold detailing does not sit on top of the piece so much as it moves through it, catching light from different angles the way a well-struck guitar chord fills a room differently depending on where you are standing. Four gold-finished cigar rests accommodate a proper session with company, and the generous dimensions — 220mm long, 170mm wide — give the piece a commanding presence on any surface without demanding more space than it earns. It ships inside a Fender-themed S.T. Dupont presentation box that makes the first moment of ownership feel like an occasion.

Five hundred and ninety-five dollars for an ashtray will raise an eyebrow from someone who has never understood what separates a smoking table from a smoking ritual. For the gentleman who does understand that distinction, the price makes complete sense. This is not a utilitarian purchase dressed up in luxury packaging — it is an intentional one, the kind made by someone who has already decided that everything within reach during a great smoke should be worthy of the cigar itself. The Fender ashtray will outlast every cigar that ever rests in it, growing more collectible with every year that passes after it sells out. More importantly, it sits there between smokes as a quiet declaration — that the ritual matters, that the surroundings matter, and that settling for less when better exists is simply not something a man of taste is willing to do.

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Cigar of the Month

 

Davidoff Winston Churchill The Late Hour Toro

When Cigar Insider wrapped up their 2025 ratings and tallied the numbers, one brand stood above the rest in terms of average score across multiple cigars — and it wasn't a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Padrón Black came out on top, and that kind of consistency doesn't happen by accident. A blind tasting score of 93 points is impressive on its own. Holding that same score across two separate evaluations from two of the most respected publications in the industry? That's a cigar that simply doesn't miss.

Pull one out of the box and you'll notice it immediately — a torpedo with a sharp, pointy tip and a wrapper so dark and oily it almost looks lacquered. This stick means business before you even strike a match. Once you light it, the flavors come in waves: earth and black pepper up front, followed by baking spices, cedar, and a surprisingly subtle sweetness that hints at coconut. The draw is effortless and the burn tracks perfectly from first light to finish.

What separates Padrón from almost everyone else is patience. The family ages their tobacco for years before a single cigar ever gets rolled, and you can taste that discipline in every puff. The strength is there — this is not a mild smoke — but it never feels aggressive. Instead, it builds into a smooth, rolling crescendo of pepper, molasses, and espresso that keeps evolving right down to the nub.

The Padrón name carries serious weight in this hobby. They've won Cigar of the Year five times, most recently with the 60th Anniversary in 2025. The Black line sits above even that — a reserve-grade expression born in 2016 to honor the 89th birthday of founder José Orlando Padrón himself, built from hand-selected Nicaraguan tobaccos and offered in both Natural and Maduro. When a family puts their patriarch's legacy on a band, they're not cutting corners. This cigar proves it.

Origin: Nicaragua Size: 6¾ × 54 Figurado (Torpedo) Wrapper/Binder/Filler: All-Nicaraguan Strength: Medium-Full Price: ~$40–$41  

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New Cigar Releases

Rocky Patel Sapphire

Rocky Patel has never been a cigarmaker who needs to chase trends, and the Sapphire proves exactly that. Unveiled as his flagship core release at the 2026 PCA Trade Show in New Orleans, the Sapphire is the third entry in what has quietly become one of the more compelling series in the Rocky Patel portfolio — following the Gold Label and the Emerald, each a step deeper into refined, aged tobacco territory. But Sapphire doesn't simply continue the progression; it reframes it. Its creation spanned more than a year and over 100 blend variations, with each iteration refining the balance between flavor, strength, and sweetness — the pursuit of a profile inspired by classic Cuban cigars, capturing that lingering sweetness once found in older Cuban tobacco, while preserving depth and complexity. That is not a marketing line. That is a mission statement, and when you understand what went into the blend, the ambition behind it becomes entirely credible.

The construction of the Sapphire is where things get genuinely interesting from a tobacco perspective. The wrapper is a Mexican San Andrés, with two binders — one from Estelí, Nicaragua, and the other from the Jamastran Valley in Honduras — and fillers drawn from three Nicaraguan growing regions: Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa. With the exception of the wrapper, every tobacco in this blend was grown on farms owned by Patel himself, including the Honduran Jamastran binder — the first time Patel has used Honduran leaf from his own farm in a blend. The fillers are six to seven years old, which partly explains the price step up from Emerald and entirely explains the depth you're going to find in the smoke. Even then, the challenge was considerable — Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos are known for their strength and depth, which makes achieving that signature sweetness exceptionally difficult. Sapphire represents a breakthrough. Four sizes are available — Robusto, Toro, 60, and Corona Gorda — presented in gem-shaped boxes of 20 that look as sharp on the shelf as they do on a cutting board before a long evening outside.

What makes the Sapphire a cigar worth talking about beyond its impressive specs is what it represents philosophically for the Rocky Patel brand. Gone are the days when Rocky would release eight to ten cigars at a trade show — like 2025, there were only two cigars at PCA 2026, and the Sapphire was the centerpiece of the whole conversation. That kind of restraint from a brand that could easily flood the market says everything about where Rocky Patel is as a blender right now — focused, intentional, and playing a longer game. The cigar remains harmonious from start to finish, staying medium in strength with no harsh transitions, delivering consistent flavor, depth, and elegance throughout. For the smoker who wants a cigar that rewards patience without demanding it, the Sapphire is exactly what it sounds like — a gem.

Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés | Binder: Nicaragua (Estelí) & Honduras (Jamastran Valley) | Filler: Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa) | Factory: Tabacalera Villa Cuba S.A., Estelí, Nicaragua | Strength: Medium-Full 

Rocky Patel Year of the Horse

There is a certain kind of limited release that earns its shelf space not through scarcity alone, but through the quality of the cigar inside the box. Rocky Patel's annual zodiac series has been building that reputation quietly for several years, and the Year of the Horse is the release that cements it as one of the most compelling traditions in the limited edition space. In crafting this blend, Rocky sought to capture the commanding spirit and dynamic energy of the Fire Horse — a symbol of boldness, passion, adventure, and intensity in the Chinese Zodiac. That is a lot to ask of a cigar, but this one doesn't flinch. It is a single-format release — a box-pressed Churchill measuring 7 by 48 — and that decision alone tells you something important about the philosophy behind it. No lineup of sizes to spread the tobacco across. Just one format, one statement, built to be smoked slowly and appreciated fully.

The blend is where the Year of the Horse distinguishes itself from the field of novelty limited releases that exist only to look good in a photograph. A dark San Andrés wrapper envelops a Nicaraguan binder and a carefully aged blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers, all handcrafted at the Rocky Patel factory in Nicaragua. The Mexican San Andrés is one of the more serious wrapper choices in the premium world — dark, oily, naturally sweet, and capable of carrying serious weight in a blend without overwhelming it. Beneath it, the dual Nicaraguan-Honduran filler structure provides the kind of regional complexity that rewards the patient smoker. The result is a medium-full Churchill that burns slow and even across a long, evolving smoke, delivering layered notes of sweet spice, earth, espresso, caramel, and white chocolate that build in complexity all the way to a rich, composed finish. That white chocolate note in the back third is the kind of detail that makes you stop mid-conversation and just pay attention — and a 7-inch Churchill gives you plenty of time to find it. 

What makes the Year of the Horse worth chasing beyond the smoke itself is the rarity that backs up the hype. Rocky Patel chose a bold all-black presentation rather than the traditional red-and-gold packaging typically associated with Lunar New Year releases — a deliberate move that positions this as a serious cigar first and a collectible second. Production is tightly limited, and once these boxes find their way into humidors they tend to stay there. For the gentleman who keeps one shelf reserved for cigars he saves for the right occasions — the kind of night that deserves more than a reliable everyday smoke — the Year of the Horse belongs in that conversation. It does not ask for a special occasion so much as it creates one, which is exactly what the best limited releases have always done.

Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés | Binder: Nicaragua | Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua | Factory: Rocky Patel / Tavicusa, Nicaragua | Strength: Medium-Full

Montecristo Espada Conquistador

The Montecristo name carries a certain weight in any humidor. It is one of those brands that commands respect across generations of smokers — from the gentleman who discovered premium cigars decades ago to the newer enthusiast still building his palate and his collection. When Altadis U.S.A. unveiled the Espada Conquistador at the 2026 PCA Trade Show in New Orleans, it landed with that particular combination of heritage and genuine anticipation that only a handful of brands can still generate. The Conquistador is the fifth blend under the Espada by Montecristo sub-brand — and like every Espada before it, it is a Nicaraguan puro produced in collaboration with the Plasencia family, built entirely from Plasencia estate tobacco grown across the finest growing regions in Nicaragua. That relationship between Montecristo and Plasencia has been one of the most productive partnerships in modern premium cigars, and the Conquistador is its most refined expression yet. 

The construction of this cigar tells a very deliberate story from the ground up. The wrapper comes from Jalapa, the binder from the volcanic island of Ometepe, and the fillers from Condega and Estelí — all-Nicaraguan, made at the Plasencia factory in Estelí. That particular combination of appellations is not random. Jalapa brings elegance and a natural sweetness to the wrapper that helps keep the blend composed even as the strength builds. Ometepe's volcanic soil produces a binder with darker, earthier depth. And Condega and Estelí provide exactly what they always do — the rich Nicaraguan backbone of spice, pepper, and roasted tobacco that gives this smoke its structure and staying power. The intended flavor profile is built around creamy cedar, subtle sweetness, light coffee notes, and white pepper — a layered experience that rewards you for slowing down and letting the blend develop rather than rushing through it. Positioned between the original Espada and the full-bodied Oscuro, the Conquistador occupies the sweet spot for the smoker who wants muscle with manners. 

What elevates the Conquistador beyond a simple line extension is the intentionality behind every detail of its release. The packaging arrives in 10-count boxes with a red suede-like finish, gold accents, and updated Espada branding — a presentation worthy of the Montecristo name without crossing into excess. Four sizes cover every kind of session: the Ricasso at 5 x 54 for the man with an hour, the Guard at 6 x 50 for a more leisurely afternoon, the Quillon at 7 x 56 for a serious evening commitment, and the oversized Magnum Especial at 6 x 60 for the days when nothing else will do. Pricing runs from $19.95 to $22.50, which for tobacco of this origin and production quality represents genuine value. The Espada line has always stood for bold Nicaraguan character wrapped in the refinement the Montecristo name demands — and with the Conquistador, that standard has never been higher.

Wrapper: Nicaragua (Jalapa) | Binder: Nicaragua (Ometepe) | Filler: Nicaragua (Condega & Estelí) | Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A., Estelí, Nicaragua | Strength: Medium-Full

AVO Expresivo

The AVO brand has always carried a certain elegance about it — a refinement that traces directly back to its founder, Avo Uvezian, the Armenian-American jazz pianist and composer who built one of the most beloved names in premium cigars from the keys of a piano in Puerto Rico. For decades, AVO lived comfortably in the medium-bodied space, offering balance and approachability to smokers who wanted craftsmanship without confrontation. The Expresivo, unveiled at the 2026 PCA Trade Show in New Orleans, represents the most significant evolution the brand has seen in years — a deliberate, confident step toward a fuller, more assertive profile that doesn't abandon the AVO identity so much as it expands it. Updating the AVO brand is a big priority for Davidoff, and the new packaging style from the Expresivo is set to serve as a template for updates to existing lines across the portfolio — making this release not just a new cigar, but the opening statement of a broader brand reinvention happening in the year that Avo Uvezian would have turned 100.

The blend itself represents genuine geographic ambition for a brand that built its reputation almost entirely on Dominican tobacco. The Expresivo is the first AVO ever produced in Honduras, built on an Ecuadorian wrapper over a Honduran binder and a multi-terroir filler combination of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos. According to the company, each tobacco in the blend undergoes a tailored fermentation process designed to develop its individual characteristics while contributing to the coherence of the overall smoke — a detail that matters more than it might sound. Fermentation is where raw tobacco becomes nuanced tobacco, and the fact that Davidoff is treating each component differently before bringing them together speaks to the level of care behind this release. The result, by all early accounts from retailers who previewed it at the show, is a cigar that delivers more body and depth than any AVO before it while maintaining the balance and composure the brand has always stood for. Three sizes are available — Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54), and a true Churchill (7 x 48) — all presented in a sharp new red-and-contemporary packaging that signals clearly that something has changed.

What makes the Expresivo a cigar worth paying close attention to is the timing and context around its arrival. AVO Expresivo launches in the United States on June 25, 2026, followed by global availability beginning July 30 — dropping right into summer smoking season when fuller blends come into their own on warm evenings. Pricing runs from $16.00 to $17.80 depending on size, which for a Davidoff family cigar built on this kind of multi-country construction is notably accessible. The smoker who has always appreciated AVO's refinement but wanted something with a little more authority now has exactly what he's been waiting for — and the smoker discovering the brand for the first time is walking into it at its most compelling moment in years.

Wrapper: Ecuador Corojo | Binder: Honduran | Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua | Strength: Medium

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Cigar Tip of the Month:  Relighting a cigar is fine 

There is a common misconception among newer smokers that putting a cigar down means the experience is over — that once it goes out, it is somehow ruined or disrespectful to relight it. Let that idea go entirely. Relighting a cigar is not only acceptable, it is one of the small skills worth developing properly because the way you do it matters. Before you reach for your lighter or torch, take a moment to gently blow through the cigar first. This pushes out any stale, acrid smoke that has been sitting in the tobacco since it went cold — smoke that, if left in place, will come rushing back on your first draw and taste nothing like the cigar you were enjoying. Once you have cleared it out, toast the foot slowly and evenly, bringing it back to life with the same patience you used at the initial light. Then draw normally and let the flavors resettle. Depending on how long the cigar sat, the first few puffs may need a moment to return to form, but within a draw or two you will be right back where you left off. A good cigar deserves a second chance.

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From Barrel to Ash: Exploring Whiskey, Rum, and More

WhistlePig The Badönkådonk 25 Year Single Malt 

Only WhistlePig could put a name like Badönkådonk on a $2,000 bottle and make it feel completely appropriate. The Vermont-based distillery has built its entire identity around the idea that serious whiskey doesn't have to take itself too seriously, and the Badönkådonk is the fullest expression of that philosophy yet. It is the centerpiece of WhistlePig's 2026 single malt trilogy — sitting between the 21-year Béhôlden and the extraordinary 30-year BigShəBàng — and while the name invites a smile, the liquid inside demands your complete and undivided attention. At 25 years, WhistlePig states this has been matured more than twice as long as any other single malt on the North American continent, a statement that reframes the entire conversation around what American whiskey is capable of when given the time and intention it deserves. 

The whiskey begins its life in Canada as a 100% malted barley spirit, spending a full quarter century maturing in new American oak before receiving a secondary finish in Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks — a finishing decision that elevates the already deeply mature spirit into something genuinely multi-dimensional. The Cabernet barrels contribute tannic structure, stone fruit depth, and a subtle vineyard character that threads through the entire drinking experience without ever overpowering the malt. The nose opens with ripe fig and plum, crème brûlée and light butterscotch, signaling immediately that this is something unhurried and considered. The palate follows through with silky layers of stone fruit, dark chocolate, toasted oak, and herbal spice, closing on a long, luxurious finish of espresso, maple, pipe tobacco, and sweet malt.

For the gentleman who keeps a dedicated shelf for bottles that represent something beyond a casual pour, the Badönkådonk belongs there without question. This is not a whiskey you reach for on a Tuesday night without reason — it is a whiskey you save for the kind of evening that earns it. Paired alongside a full-bodied cigar with age on it, the conversation between the two becomes one of those rare moments where everything on the table is operating at its absolute ceiling. The name may make you laugh the first time you say it out loud, but pour a glass and within sixty seconds the humor fades entirely into something that can only be described as reverence.

Type: North American Single Malt WhiskeyMash Bill: 100% malted barleyAging: 25 years in new American oak | Finish: Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks | ABV: 45.5% (91 proof) | Price: $2,000

Tasting Notes: Fig, plum, crème brûlée, butterscotch, cedar, wild honey, espresso, maple, pipe tobacco 

Ukiyo Nashi Pear Gin

The word "ukiyo" translates from Japanese as "floating world" — a concept rooted in the idea of living fully in the present moment, detached from the noise and weight of everyday life. It is a fitting name for a gin brand that has consistently produced spirits designed not to assault the palate but to transport it, and the Nashi Pear expression is perhaps the clearest distillation of that philosophy yet. Co-created with Marks & Spencer and produced by Kirker Greer Spirits, the gin launched in early 2026 as a fruit-forward, Asian-inspired expression built to stand apart in an increasingly crowded premium gin category. In a market where novelty gin releases arrive weekly and most disappear just as quickly, the Nashi Pear earns genuine attention — not through gimmick, but through the quality and authenticity of its ingredients and the craft behind them.

The gin is distilled in Chiba, east of Tokyo, built on a base of locally grown Japanese rice — a foundation that gives Ukiyo's expressions a clean, slightly silky character that separates them from European-base-spirit gins from the first sip. The botanical profile combines juniper, yuzu, nashi pear, and shiso leaf, supported by undertones of white pepper, orris root, and green tea — a lineup that reads like a walk through a Japanese farmers market in late summer. The nashi pear itself is the star: known in Japan as a beloved symbol of late summer and autumn, these water pears are firm and crunchy, almost like a cross between an apple and a pear, prized for their refreshing sweetness. That character comes through in the glass with precision — crisp, delicate, and present without ever tipping into the cloying sweetness that ruins lesser fruit gins. 

At 40% ABV the Nashi Pear is approachable without being soft, beautifully balanced with the pear providing an elegant, aromatic layer without overpowering the typical gin structure. For the gentleman who has graduated past the London Dry category and wants something that reflects both craft and cultural intentionality in his glass, this is a bottle worth seeking out. It works magnificently over ice with a quality tonic and a thin slice of fresh pear, and it holds its own in a simple citrus cocktail without losing what makes it distinctive. The Ukiyo Nashi Pear Gin is the kind of spirit that makes you slow down, pay attention, and appreciate exactly where you are — which, when you think about it, is precisely what ukiyo was always meant to be about

Type: Japanese Craft GinBase Spirit: Locally grown Japanese riceBotanicals: Juniper, yuzu, nashi pear, shiso leaf, white pepper, orris root, green teaABV: 40%Price: approx. $44 USDAvailability: UK exclusive via Marks & Spencer and Ocado (February 2026)

Crossfire Hurricane Gold Rum

There are certain collaborations between art and spirits that feel forced — a famous name on a bottle with little more than a licensing deal behind it. Crossfire Hurricane Gold Rum is not that. The Rolling Stones are re-launching their rum brand with a reworked expression that unites rums from four of Jamaica's most respected distilleries, elevating it into a super-premium spirit that celebrates the band's enduring creative bond with Jamaica — a bond that is not manufactured for commercial purposes but rooted in over fifty years of genuine island history. The name itself was taken from the opening lyric of "Jumpin' Jack Flash," one of the most recognizable songs in rock and roll history, and it carries the same kind of energy in a glass that the song carries on a speaker — bold, immediate, and impossible to ignore. 

The story behind the liquid is what separates Crossfire Hurricane from the crowded field of celebrity rum. In 1972, the Rolling Stones arrived in Jamaica at a time of constant movement — touring relentlessly, navigating exile, and living between borders — and found in Jamaica a place open to sound, experimentation, and outsiders. The band recorded Goats Head Soup in Kingston, and there began their love of the island, its culture, and its music. That love is what the 2026 Gold expression is built around. Gold brings together fresh pot still rum bursting with tropical fruit, smooth column-distilled rum aged in young oak, and a finishing touch of rare high-ester aged rum that gives it an unmistakable hint of Jamaican funk. True to Jamaican rum-making tradition and geographical indication standards, no sugar is added — a commitment that immediately elevates it above the sweetened celebrity pours that dominate the category.

In the glass, bright citrus leads the way — fresh orange peel with vanilla and warm spice, a touch of nutmeg rounding it out, with natural sweetness from pure fruit character building to a warm and lingering finish where the spice notes carry long after the glass is empty. The brand describes the versatility of the liquid as lending itself equally to mixing, sipping neat, or as the foundation of a spirit-forward Old Fashioned — and all three approaches hold up. This is a rum with range, with history, and with the rare quality that the best spirits all share: it makes you want to pour another glass and stay right where you are.

ABV: 46.8% | Age: 21 Years | Casks: Ex-Bourbon, Oloroso & First-Fill Pedro Ximénez | MSRP: $450

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2026 U.S. Cigar Festival & Event Calendar

June

Philadelphia Cigar Festival

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Jun 18–21

Big Smoke Austria

Austria | Jun 20  

Great Lakes Cigar Fest

Pontiac, Michigan | Jun 27 

Indy Cigar Festival

Indianapolis, IN | June 27

Macon Cigar Festival 

Macon, Georiga | June 19–21

Pink Summer Smoke

Miami, Florida | June 26–28

July

Procigar Night Punta Cana

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | Jul 1 

Portland Cigar Festival

Portland, Oregon | Jul 9–12

Chicago Cigar Festival

Chicago, Illinois | Jul 22–26

August

Havana Night

Whippany, New Jersey | Aug 7 

Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival

Broomfield, Colorado | Aug 22

Brew City Cigar Festival

Glendale, Wisconsin | Aug 29 

Atlanta Cigar Festival

Atlanta, Georgia | Aug 30

September

Kansas City Cigar Festival (Trade Only)

Kansas City, Missouri | Sep 12 

Intertabac (Trade Only)

Dortmund, Germany | Sep 15–17 

October

CigarFest

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |  Fall 2026

St. Louis Smoke Out

St. Louis, Missouri | Oct 9–11

November

Dallas Smoke Fest

Dallas,Texas | Nov 5–9

Cigar Aficionado’s Big Smoke

Las Vegas, NV | Nov 6–7