Well it is finally here. The 2013 International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Convention officially kicks off on Sunday. As a matter of fact, as this blog is posted at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning I am just 20 minutes from landing in Las Vegas, NV. Now I know that a lot of people would be happy just spending a week in Sin City, but to be honest the venue matters little to me. This convention could be in Whynot, Mississippi and I couldn't care less. This trip is all about the cigars and the people who make them. And yes, Whynot is an actual town, most famously known for being the birthplace of David Ruffin. If you don't know who David Ruffin is then shame on you. Google it.

The main focus of this trip is meeting with cigar manufacturers and distributors and seeing what's new in the industry this year. They will be selling and we will have to decide what to buy. I am very fortunate to work for a company in which its two buyers responsible for purchasing cigars, amongst other things, aren't cigar enthusiasts. That affords me and my fellow brother of the leaf, Steve "Big Mungo" Mungeer, to come along and do all of the taste testing and sampling that will be required.

Today will be a down day. We will check-in, get a little rest after our 6 a.m. flight, then meet in the afternoon to discuss our strategy for the week. With so many cigars to smoke and only three full days to do so, it will take some proper planning. It's tough work but someone has to do it.

I will make sure that I keep all of those who follow my blog and twitter account updated with all of the festivities. As excited as I am to be here, I want all of our cigar enthusiasts to be equally excited because we will be coming back he with some really great products. So stay tuned--I will be blogging every day of the convention!

Long Ashes,

Chris Gwaltney

ABC Fine Wine & Spirits regional manager in Jacksonville. Follow him on Twitter @chrisgnole