Our Questions for 2025 is an impromptu non-scheduled post. Let me explain.
COVID. What a way to start off the new year. It started with a subtle cough on Friday afternoon 12/27. I went into work that night scheduled to work an 11pm to 11am shift. It went downhill from there, fast. On the 28th with my wife in the healthcare industry she asked me to test. I was too tired to put up a fight and I had a unrelenting headache. I tested, went up to bed. I was out but my wife told me I tested positive. I wouldn’t wake up until 9am on the 29th with my o2 levels in the 80s. I slept 36 of the first 48 hours. On the 30th I lost my taste and smell which I do not have back at the time of this posting on January 1st.
So with no post since last week (I do have some reviews in the que that I didn’t schedule out) I figured it was time for a little update. Ever since I started my first cigar blog acigarsmoker.com back in the day, I’ve always tried to have a personal spin on it.
So without further adieu, what are my top questions for 2025
Cigar Industry Questions:
- Will the obscene pricing of cigars slow down? Surely the industry can’t continue to project higher in pricing then things are right now. Although the numbers will have them continue to try. Through Q3 tobacco exports were up almost 4% from their record breaking 2023 numbers. However, I still walk into cigar shops and see a lot of the high priced limited edition releases sitting on the shelf. Sadly, it takes the cigar industry a few years to react and the high pricing was the result of consumer spending during the covid lockdowns.
- With a full year between PCA 2024 will there be more regular edition releases? As a consumer it felt like 2024 didn’t have a lot of new cigars as compared to past years. A lot of people blamed it on the 7 months between the 2023 and 2024 trade show. As a result it felt like a lot of companies put out limited edition releases in higher numbers than the past. With a full year between trade shows will we see we an influx of new releases that are regular production?
- Will there be any major acquisitions in the industry? I say there will be at least one and while I have nothing to back this up, my opinion is that Davidoff Cigars will be acquired by someone. The company since Dylan Austin left his job seems like a ship without a captain. Press releases come from different sources depending which brand. Emails to Davidoff requesting press release distribution go unanswered, the marketing which was their strong suit seems to be a shell of what it was. But I feel like something is destined to happen with the company.
- Generational Tobacco Ban, will it happen in 2025? Yes, but on state levels. There are quite a few towns that have enacted a generational tobacco ban, specifically in Massachusetts. In, 2023 a Generational bill died in Hawaii. However in 2025 a similar bill will be introduced in the heavy blue state of Massachusetts which has the support to see it pass. One state enacting it will become the blueprint to follow much like smoking bans.
Liquor Industry Questions:
- Will allocated Bourbon still be hard to get? It’s getting easier depending where you live. In 2024, the American Craft Spirits Association reported that American spirits were down in volume by 3.6% and down in sales by 1.1%. While these numbers reflect smaller spirit producers there is other proof out there as well as the secondary market has dropped about 9% in value. Still, I have little hope for my state which is poorly run by the New Hampshire Liquor Association. We still haven’t seen the release of Elijah Craig BP C923, B524 or C924.
- Will anyone surpass Tequila in terms of growth? As a bourbon drinker I keep praying for the continued growth of Tequila though it has had less than a profound effect on the bourbon market than I had hoped. However in 2025 Tequila will continue to be king although the growth of no/low Alcohol drinks and THC drinks with grow as well. This is all subject to change as President Trump has said he will introduce tariffs and Tequila could be hurt in the US Market.
- Will store specific Barrel Picks finally slow down? Here in the Northeast these are a product of the pandemic that doesn’t seem ready to slow down. One of our favorite spots in Massachusetts currently has 25+ bourbon/rye barrel pics on their shelf for their stores (5 locations). The problem with these picks is they aren’t the same as the regular releases and unless the stores are doing a tasting when you happen to be around they are just too big of a gamble in today’s economy. But, they bring people to the store so its a proven marketing strategy that won’t slow down for another couple of years.
There you go, my totally unplanned post just to get some content up..
For those keeping score at home. My first cigar of 2025 was an Espinosa Laranja Azulejo and my first pour was Old Bardstown Estate Bottled and I couldn’t taste either one.
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