The Big Smoke Returns To Las Vegas With A New Venue
The Big Smoke Las Vegas weekend had a new home this year, but the festivities were as good as they’ve ever been. On Friday November 11 and Saturday November 12, more than 3,000 cigar aficionados from all over the world gathered at Resorts World Las Vegas to celebrate cigars, meet the biggest names in the industry and mingle with like-minded folk. It was the 26th Big Smoke Las Vegas.
On Friday night, guests eagerly lined up more than an hour before the doors opened. As guests entered the main ballroom, they dispersed in every direction with some heading straight for their favorite cigarmakers while others gathered around a table or simply grabbed a drink from one of the many spirit vendors. The Cigar Aficionado tote bags were soon filled with cigars. When guests weren’t loading up on smokes, they could be found in lively conversation amongst fellow aficionados as they enjoyed a bite to eat or paired a fine spirit with their cigar while a live band kept a spirited pulse in the background.
The nightime events were only part of the story. Early Saturday morning, the seminars—which sold out months prior—kicked off with a pairing of Cigar Aficionado’s 2021 Cigar of the Year, the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo, and a brand-new whisky from Lagavulin, 11-year-old Offerman Edition Double Charred Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The seminars were capped off with four Dewar’s tastings: Dewar’s 12-, 15- and 18-year-old Scotch Whiskies and the Double Double 21-year-old Scotch Whisky, to pair alongside the new Rocky Patel DBS Toro. In between were tastings of the Nos. 2 and 3 Cigars of the Year, seminars on Cameroon tobacco and the Cohiba brand, and a blockbuster retrospective on 30 years of Cigar Aficionado. Breakfast was provided by La Aurora, and lunch was hosted by Oliva Cigar Co.
That evening, the cigar lovers lined up once again, returning for another night of the Big Smoke, with even more drinks, cigars and fun to go around. The line stretched back further and earlier than the night before and guests came dressed to impress with some casually sporting shorts and t-shirts while others had well-tailored suits, colorful blazers or coordinated outfits with their fellow group members.
On March 4, the Big Smoke will return, with Big Smoke Meets WhiskyFest at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Visit bigsmokewhiskyfest.com for tickets.
