Pappy & Company Visits the Barn Smoker by Drew Estate

The Backstory:

We recently attended the Barn Smoker by Drew Estate, held in early October at the Gray Family Farm in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. So, what exactly is a Barn Smoker? In short, it's an experience. Billed as an interactive cigar activation with food, drinks, and live music, it’s more of a festival environment that happens to take place on a working farm with an ultimate backstage pass to fire-curing tobacco.

Our Pappy Van Winkle Cigar partner, (and globally recognized cigar experts and master craftsman), Drew Estate, have been hosting these unique events for six years now at their partner farms in Connecticut, Kentucky, and Florida. We’ve been fortunate to attend a few along the way. Designed as a true fan experience, these Barn Smokers have grown and evolved into something pretty spectacular to witness. 

Not only is it just a really fun and completely unique event to attend, but these Barn Smokers are also a reminder of just how passionate Drew Estate is about cigars. These hand-crafted experiences for their fans are simply tangible examples of their time, devotion to their process, and a beautiful display of the intersection of bourbon, cigars, food, music - and most importantly, the art of enjoying them all. 

They are also opportunities for us to meet them on their turf so to speak, and show our support and appreciation for them as true partners in this shared endeavor. We feel so fortunate to have aligned Drew Estate and Pappy & Company brands with a shared passion and commitment to high-quality standards and practices. 

Understanding the deep connection between cigars and whiskey - we knew we needed to work with the very best of the best to truly highlight and accentuate the flavor of our Pappy Van Winkle bourbon through the highest quality and meticulously crafted cigars in the world. These events are a testament to the fact that we sure made the right choice in working with Drew Estateto produce our Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars and our Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Cigars. 

The Kentucky Barn Smoker by Drew Estate is always held at the Gray Family Farm in Hopkinsville. This happens to be the very farm where the authentic Kentucky grown tobacco for the original Drew Estate Kentucky fire-cured cigars, as well as our own Pappy Van Winkle cigars, comes from. As fire-cured tobacco had typically been used primarily as pipe tobacco before they introduced their line of Kentucky Fire-Cured cigars, this is just one of the many ways in which Drew Estate has been truly innovative in the cigar industry. 

Working with local farmers who share an equal dedication to quality control is the only way we could have ever embarked on a project of this scale. When we attended our very first Barn Smoker event we met the Gray Family, and in case you can’t tell yet, we tend to make pretty fast friends with the people we are collaborating with. This was no exception, and we hit it off so much, that when we planned our first Van Winkle Family trip to Nicaragua back in 2019, we asked the Gray Family to join along.

Naturally, we had such a blast together on our cigar expedition with Drew Estate in Estelí, that we wanted to extend the fun with a joint beach vacation afterward! After all, when you do the kind of work that we do, with such a level of passion and involvement from the entire family, you tend to attract like-minded folks…ie the kind of people you want to have a beer with, or, in our case, a Nicaraguan beach vacation with! Further proof that working hard with partners who become friends, really doesn’t feel like work at all!

Back to the Barn Smoker

As the Gray Family Farm is truly a working farm, hosting the Barn Smoker there allows you to truly become a part of the action. The act of fire-curing tobacco is a highly involved one that takes several days (or several weeks, although the events are held over a long weekend). It is such an intricate process that is incredibly cool to witness. There isn’t anything fast or instantaneous about it - and while it isn’t as slow as say, the bourbon aging process, it is very meticulous and intentional. 

The entire process is designed to allow a low fire to slowly burn over time to gently infuse the tobacco with flavor. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Kentucky fire-cured cigar, you know that the so-called proof is in the pudding after all. 

As we watched them prep the barn and bring in the coals, you can truly understand the level of patience, skill, and dedication that is required - and we feel fortunate each time to get this backstage pass to watch and enjoy masters at work. 

Breaking down the Barn Smoker:

There are several highly involved steps to the process of Fire-Curing tobacco:

• Hanging the Tobacco: 

After the tobacco is fully grown and harvested (right here on the farm) the tobacco is gathered together and tied or spiked onto a stick and then hung upside down in the barn. This part is honestly strangely beautiful to witness. It feels somehow like we are stepping back in time and witnessing a very old-fashioned tradition, while the visual effect of the vibrant green leaves hanging gently from the rafters, swaying softly over the smoke and almost entirely blocking out the light, gives an almost otherworldly feeling.

• Starting the fire. 

The smoldering fire that gives this process, and this event, their very name, is lit on the barn floor, fed by sawdust, and carefully monitored. Here you are overtaken by the magnitude of senses. The low and gentle crackle of a slowly burning fire, the layers of smoke reaching towards the hanging tobacco, and the wafting aroma of pure flickering flame mingling with the ripe earthiness of recently harvested tobacco make for an incredibly fragrant and rich atmosphere. We are only sorry we can’t transport this exact combination of sight, sound, and smell to you.

• Monitoring the temperature of the fire.

Fire curing specialists use long stokers to carefully check and monitor the temperature of the heated air, as they gradually increase the temperature throughout the process to maintain the optimum temperature. This is truly watching experts at work. It’s like a math equation in action or a careful science experiment on a large scale. The deep understanding of the degree of difference between a few degree changes that may feel infinitesimal to us are carefully tracked for their effect on the tobacco.

• Controlling the humidity.

Naturally, the level of moisture in the air can affect the curing process, so careful monitoring of the level of humidity. During the leaf-drying and yellowing phase especially, the humidity levels are carefully monitored to ensure the best color and moisture retention. 

• Observing the tobacco.

The entire process can take anywhere from 3 days to 10 weeks, depending on a variety of factors. It is an essential step in our multi-layered approach, as the curing method wholly affects the final taste, texture, color, and aroma of the tobacco.

Just as the name indicates, smoke from the fire cures the tobacco, infusing it with a very distinct flavor and aroma. The fire removes nearly 85% of the moisture, which by design, allows the tobacco to burn more evenly and makes the ratio of nicotine higher. 

What a Show:

These events are super fun, and a special opportunity to watch our partners at work. Not only that, but we also get to meet and mingle with folks who genuinely appreciate the expertise and innovation behind Drew Estate and fans of theirs who have been introduced to our line of Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented cigars through them. Over the years we've enjoyed seeing familiar faces along the way, and meeting new friends at each Barn Smoker.

This year was especially poignant and special, as JD (Jonathan Drew) brought his new baby and fiancé! Meeting his sweet baby and seeing him so happy in this new phase of life was exciting.

We were also joined at the Barn Smoker by Mark Ryan, and his partner Emily, (who are next up on the journey our fire-cured tobacco takes before becoming our Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented cigars) and who match the passion and incredible knowledge of these special techniques.

We never leave an event with Drew Estate, and Mark Ryan, not completely blown away. It honestly never ceases to amaze us just the scale of the production, how it has grown, the dedication to mastering their craft, their continued innovation, and the level to which they engage with us as partners, and their fanbase of supporters. We are so grateful to continue to work with partners who maintain this level of commitment, excitement for their craft, and dedication to pursuing the highest quality of practices and execution.We leave invigorated and excited to continue to share it with all of you!

Up Next:

After undergoing the intricate fire-curing process, the journey isn't over for our Kentucky grown and Kentucky Fire-Cured tobacco. It is then shipped to St. James Parrish, Louisiana, for an equally intricate and unique process of perique barrel fermentation in our retired Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrels. 

Trust us when we say, you won't want to miss the backstage pass to the L.A. Poche Perique Factory in Louisiana. Stay tuned...