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This Post is written by Brody Fontenot!
Well, since I was asked about the beautifully hand-carved Drew Estate Pappy van Winkle standup ashtray that's been in Bailey's Cigar Room since day one - here goes...
It all started several years ago when my brother, Terry, and I attended a Drew Estate Barn Smoker. This particular one was held in St. James Parish at the Poche Perique Tobacco processing facility. This is where leaves for the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve are actually barrel fermented. You want to talk about a cigar that goes through an amazing process before it gets to the consumer. Look that one up...it's an amazing process!
I purchased a few of the Cigars for Warriors Raffle tickets. At the end of the event, they began drawing. Time passesd and they gave away some amazing stuff, but I was not successful. Eventually it came time to give away said ashtray. They are truly unique, hand carved and painted. Only a handful of these particular styles were made!
The numbers were called and BOOM!!! I hit the big one. Of course, my brother was angry because he says I'm the luckiest SOB on the planet.
Now this ashtray is huge and heavy!! I had to carry it from the Barnsmoker stage all the way to the road. Probably 300 yards. Then I had to get it to my truck, which was a mile down the road at the St James Parish Courthouse. Thankfully, a kind officer and fellow cigar smoker helped me load the thing onto his side-by-side and he drove us straight to my truck! Even loaded it in. I gave him some cigars for his help! Fast forward to Baileys opening day. After meeting with Jaime, I knew this ashtray had a home. I went back to the house and brought the ashtray to Bailey's where it has been ever since. Now the Wooden Indian statue has taken some of the ashtray's luster away, but people still ask about the ashtray and I’m always glad to tell the story. I’ve even been offered some decent money to sell it, but have no plans to. Pappy is home at Bailey's, right where he needs to be.
