I just opened a tin, and there was no cube. I also opened Frog Morton Cellar, and there was one in there. Is there supposed to be a cube in Town? I couldn't find any information on it.
I've smoked the Stave 35 which comes with the block (it's actually from a bourbon barrel) and you can definitely taste that smokey sweetness....I talked to Mike (who runs the company and is an absolute wildman, and he talks about the joy of looking at a tractor trailer full of bourbon barrels an knowing he has to sand them, cut them into 1" cubes, and put them in the tin- I suspect it's not his favorite part of the job...)It's in FMC because of the association with the flavouring. I doubt it accomplishes anything but it certainly is a nice touch.