So, I am sure you probably know about this cigar already if you like cigars and you like beer.  The Asylum Dragon's Milk is aged in New Holland Brewing Co's bourbon barrel stout barrels.  After the cigars are rolled they are aged for two days in the barrels.  So, after some delays and trials the Dragon's Milk is here.  Let's get smoking....

Construction:  The Dragon's Milk is a hefty Churchill size.   Lots of sheen to the wrapper leaf and a small vein or two, the DM is heavy in hand too.

Pre-light Aroma and Draw:  I admit, I was expecting a beer note to the unlit cigar....instead,I get a sugary sweet tobacco with a very slight spice.   The draw is nice and open but not full throttle.   A cold pull gives some sweet raisin notes.

Light and Burn:  The burn on the DM is pretty good but I did have some issues along the way with a lop sided burn.   I also had a slight wrapper issue.   It started to unfurl on me into the final third - not a cool thing to have happen to a pricey cigar.

Tasting:  From the get-go, there is a nice pleasant sweet spice comprised of cedar, some black pepper, and a brown sugar note.   A creamy roasted nut flavor lingers underneath.   Strength is somewhere in the medium range at this point.   There's some oak.   A touch of red pepper.   A nice start - still, where is the bourbon?   Where's the beer?   Why is the rum gone?   Sorry   - lost my mind for a moment.   The first third starts to open up after about an inch or so.   A black cherry, earth, and toasty wood settle in and move the pepper notes out.   The bourbon is there but way underneath as a sugary sweet note.

Finally!   As the second third starts, I get a note that is sweet and so creamy it reminds me of milk.   It isn't a hugely in your face flavor but it is more than a hint.   There is the beer I was looking for.   Now remember, this is made with barrels used to age a milk stout...not a lager.   So if you are expecting a heavy tart yeast flavor you won't find it here. A note of sesame seeds, roasted meat, and earth form the core as I get to the middle.   Flavors continue as the middle third dies.  

The final third jumps the strength up to a medium full.   A heavier note of roast meat and pepper surfaces towards the end.  A well done and very unique cigar.

Value:  Not cheap....the Dragon's Milk retails at around the $17 mark.  

Final Thoughts: This big questions are: does it taste like beer?  Not really, no.  Is it good?  Yes, it is.  Is it worth the rather hefty price tag?  Eh, the jury is still out on that.  I can't imagine trying to smoke this with a beer....this cigar's nuances are such that a beer might hide some of them.  While I did enjoy the cigar, the wonky burn for about two thirds of the smoke made it too much of a chore.

Wrapper:  Nicaraguan
Binder:  Nicaraguan
Filler:  Nicaraguan

Strength: Medium-full

Size: 7 x 52

Pretty nifty incorporation of the Dragon's Milk beer logo in there....