Ashton ESG 22 Year Salute

I have recently realized that I have not had ANY other Ashtons besides the Classic Magnum and Churchill. I have had most of the Ashton adjacent cigars like La Aroma and San Cristobal and very much enjoyed them (and didn't know they were Ashton adjacent...) So I have planned to work my way through the other Ashton options.

I may have done this incorrectly because I started with the ESG... and boy is it a great cigar.

I had it in my humidor for 6 weeks or so.

1/3: was very tan flavors, a little bit of the ashton graham cracker flavor and some baking spices

2/3: Started to open up a bit more with some more flavors of hay, cracked espresso beans, vanilla, and some wood notes, almost like sandalwood smells

3/3: really started to get a bit more of the baking spices, the hay was gone, and more coffee bean flavors, but the vanilla faded.

Smoked it to about 1.5" left.


Overall extremely good cigar, mine was not particularly spicy or peppery which I have read in a lot of reviews for the ESG, but this was almost on the creamy side for me, I do think the Opus comparisons are pretty apt, just more muted in the spice or pepper flavors than Opus.

One note: This cigar had some odd construction as it didn't burn evenly, I got a pretty good runner on the last 3rd. Didn't have to relight it but it was odd as I have never had an Ashton or other adjacent ones burn anything but perfectly. May have just been this one cigar as my humidor is pretty spot on as I don't have issues with any cigars, so probably just a box or batch issue. I have one more I'll smoke to make sure but even if this one was on the "bad" side of ESG it was still fantastic as I didn't get any off notes or flavors.