Cigar Aficionado

The Big Smoke made a lively—and even spooky—return to Sin City this Halloween weekend at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. It was the 29th Big Smoke Las Vegas, and it kicked off Friday, October 31, in what was the perfect adult-version of trick-or-treating, with plenty of costumes and even more cigars and spirits. Saturday matched the energy with illuminating seminars by day and a second night of the world’s greatest cigar party, with appearances by actors Martin Kove and Michael Cudlitz. The stars were joined by industry luminaries and thousands of aficionados from all corners of the country and beyond to celebrate cigars and fine spirits in the entertainment capital of the world. 

Friday evening was quite the start to the Big Smoke Las Vegas weekend. Once the 5:30 p.m. start time rolled around, the long line of VIP, early-access ticket-holders started to move. Many had cued up an hour before the doors opened, eager to be among the first on the showroom floor. There was a fresh mix among this group—some had attended more than 20 Big Smokes, and some were attending for the first time. 

The ballroom was elegant and spacious, with high ceilings and plenty of room for guests to mingle as they lit up one of their many newly-acquired smokes and sipped on a refreshing beverage, such as a single-malt Scotch, a rum Old Fashioned or just a cold soda. The J.C. Newman El Reloj factory replica took center stage once more, and the display was made even grander with a pair of large replicas of their revamped Diamond Crown cigars, which debuted at last year’s All-Access Big Smoke party.

Just as the VIP crowd made their entrance and tactically approached the floor, the live band amped up the mood, striking the first tune at 5:30 p.m. on the dot, and going all night. The band was situated in the back amid a sea of tables and food stations, set up buffet-style. Early-access VIPs also had the benefit of receiving exclusive pours from some of the spirit vendors who reserved limited selections like Johnnie Walker Blue Year of The Snake and Lagavulin Distillers Edition just for the first hour. As guests made their way through the cigar and spirit stations, getting smokes directly from the hands of the world’s most famous cigarmakers, many would settle down at a table in the seating area, splaying their cigars and deciding what to light up next.  

One of the best parts of the Big Smoke is the mingling among the well-traveled crowd, which came from all over the country and the world. One group of brothers from Temecula, California, stood out. The Beers brothers—Wyatt, Cody, Mitchell, Troy and TJ—were in attendance together as part of the All-Access package. The brothers have varying Big Smoke experience: some have attended five previous renditions, others were attending for the first time. Cigars are a rite of passage for these brothers, and they extend their passion to others. Jake Smith was a benefactor of such, who was treated to his first Big Smoke by the brothers after making a big sale for the company. “This has all been amazing,” says Smith. The Bourbon- and cigar-lover was thankful to attend his first-ever Big Smoke, and he vowed it would not be his last.

Casey Heaton of Mount Saint Helens, Washington, also made a similar vow after attending Big Smoke for the first time. “Cigars, just like Bourbon, have something about them that just brings people together,” says Heaton. “This has been wonderful.” Heaton was determined to make it to Sin City for the 29th Big Smoke Las Vegas, so much so that he booked his flight and hotel room even before he acquired tickets. He managed to grab some of the last All-Access passes left, and he was glad he did. Heaton is a collector of Bourbon and cigars, and was happy to add to his collection, and to discover more Bourbons. He’ll get the chance to expand that list even more next week, as he decided to also buy tickets to WhiskyFest in New York City on November 14, put on by our sister publication Whisky Advocate. 

The general admission crowd soon followed at 6:30 p.m., bringing with them an extra dose of enthusiasm and even more remarkable costumes to celebrate Halloween. Big Smokes are no stranger to eye-catching outfits, but Friday night went above and beyond. Aficionados were just as passionate with their get-ups as they are with cigars. Some of our favorite costumes included a knight in chain-link armor, a hulking man in a full baby costume, several pirates, many cowboys (though some weren’t dressing up), a group of Masters caddies and Eddie from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. One man even dressed as Larry Bird, with an oddly close resemblance. Just like many children across the country Friday night, guests had a bag full of goodies, specifically a Cigar Aficionado tote bag packed with over 30 cigars. In typical trick-or-treating fashion, these cigar lovers quickly got down to bartering amongst one another, examining their loot and making swaps with fellow attendees. 

There were numerous cigar brands in attendance: Alec Bradley, Aging Room, Arturo Fuente, Casa Carrillo, C.L.E., Cohiba, Crowned Heads, Diesel, Eladio Diaz, Española Cigars, Espinosa Cigars, Gran Habano, J.C. Newman, La Aroma de Cuba (Ashton Distributors), La Aurora, La Flor Dominicana, La Palina, Macanudo, Montecristo, My Father Cigars, Nub, Oliva, OZ Family Cigars, Padrón, Plasencia, Rocky Patel, Room101, Romeo y Julieta, Infinity by Sanj Patel and Trinidad.

From Scotch and Bourbon to whiskey and rum, guests also had plenty of fine spirits and drinks to pair with their cigars. The companies and brands pouring drinks included Aberfeldy, Lagavulin, Dewar's, Minden Mill, Ampersand, Talisker, Mortlach, Johnnie Walker, Stoller Imports, Santa Teresa, Bacardi, Brother’s Bond, Don Julio and Ron Zacapa. 

There were also cigar accessory and other industry vendors present, such as Boveda (passing out their handy bags built to keep cigars humidified) along with Rabbit Air smoke eaters, plus Accutron Watches and Revel Custom Wine Cellars. The Ash Hole Cigar Club and Cigar Rights of America had booths as well.

One of the most compelling draws of the weekend is the opportunity to meet some of the world’s most famous cigarmakers. This year, the cigar stars included Carlos Fuente Jr. of Arturo Fuente Cigar Co.; Ernesto Perez-Carrillo of Casa Carrillo; Rocky Patel and Nish Patel of Rocky Patel Cigars; Rafael Nodal of Altadis U.S.A.; Nestor Andrés Plasencia of Plasencia Cigars; Bobby Newman of J.C. Newman Cigar Co.; Tim Ozgener of OZ Family Cigars; Christian Eiroa of C.L.E. Cigar Co.; Pepin, Jaime and Janny Garcia of My Father Cigars; Tony Gomez of La Flor Dominicana; Jorge Luís Padrón, Jeffrey Padrón and Alfonso Vicente Martínez of Padrón Cigars; Cory Bappert of Oliva Cigar Co.; Bradley Rubin of Alec Bradley; Matt Booth of Room101; Erik Espinosa Jr. of Espinosa Cigars; Sam Philips and Clay Roberts of La Palina; Sean Williams of Cohiba; George Rico of Gran Habano and Sanj Patel of SP1014.

The Big Smoke resumed on Saturday with an afternoon of illuminating seminars for those with VIP tickets (look for coverage of the seminars beginning on Wednesday). That evening brought some Hollywood to Las Vegas, as actors Martin Kove (The Karate Kid, “Cobra Kai”) and Michael Cudlitz (“The Walking Dead,” “Band of Brothers”) strolled the show. Cudlitz was interviewed during the seminars earlier in the day, but his love of cigars brought him back onto the showroom floor that night. 

Cigar fans came from far and wide, but the winner for the longest distance traveled likely went to Julienne Johnston and her husband, who came all the way from New Zealand for their first-ever Big Smoke. “We’ve been trying to come for 20 years,” says Johnston. “This is amazing, we have to come back next year.” The couple says it has been decades since they experienced such an environment, given New Zealand’s strict smoking regulations. Big Smoke was the first stop for this couple on their world tour of premier destinations around the globe, which will include visits to New York City, London and Rome. Other visitors came from as far as Australia and Dubai. 

The Big Smoke will return to Las Vegas next fall, November 6 and 7, 2026. Save the date.

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